Phantom Dragon
by axayashinoceres
Summary: A phantom thief runs rumpant, with Prince Kai giving chase. But every time he manages to get close, all he gets is a glimpse of midnight blue hair. There is more to the story than meets the eye... This is a TyKa fic. Please be warned.
1. Chapter 1:Prologue

axayashinoceres: Hey there! Here's the first chapter of my new story. I sure hope you like this one!

Disclaimer: The characters that are in any way connected to Beyblade belongs to Takao Aoki. The rest, including the plot, belongs to me.

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Phantom Dragon

London, 1700s

A young man clothed in black material stealthily moved through a bedroom of a mansion not his own. Reaching the threshold of the third floor balcony of that room, he paused and gave one last glance behind him, eyes immediately landing on the queen-sized bed, or rather, what's on it. On the silk sheets, blue petals from a blue rose were scattered about. Amid those petals lay a white card with elegant writings on it.

The man smiled slightly at his handiwork and with a flourishing swish of his black cape, he went out to the balcony and disappeared into the night. The Phantom Dragon has struck. And tomorrow London would be buzzing busily about this, even more so among the most gossipy of high society. The Phantom is very pleased.

The next day, the news of the deed that struck the house of the Baron and Baroness Reynard, as well as the identity of this phantom enigma, took London by storm. It was said that upon arriving home from the Gala that was held on that night, the Baron and his wife were outraged by the mess in their bedroom. They thought it was some kind of prank so the Baron called for his butler to demand answers. The Baroness picked up the card and read through it, her complexion growing paler at every word. She looked at the card's back and screeched, catching his husband's attention. He read the card and immediately yelled for his butler to check on something to confirm the truth of the card's message.

The butler's exclamation chilled Baron Reynard's blood. It was true – his most precious Jewel was gone, courtesy of a phantom thief who calls himself the Phantom Dragon. The Baroness Reynard fainted at the news.

**TBC...**

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axayashinoceres: Well that's that. A short prologue for my story. watch out for the next one! Please don't hesitate to review! A word of caution for the next chapter: it's longer than I have ever expected. Read at your own risk.


	2. Chapter 2

axa: Hi there! I'm feeling smug right now since I finally finished a story. Here is the second chapter of the Phantom Dragon! And it's kinda very long but...Enjoy!

Disclaimer: This is my plot but the main charcters you recognize are owned by Takao Aoki. Further, the prose/poems are copyrighted from the book, Aeosop's Fables. It is my inspiration n writng this story. I highly recommend you checking this book out.

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Buckingham Palace

A prince woke up to incessant knocking, emerging him forcefully from a cherished dream. He scowled and sent his valet to open the doors. He can't wait tot hear from this idiot who dared wake him up, banging so loudly when he was still suffering from his hangover, remnants from last night's gala event. This better be good or he'll have the man killed for disturbing him over a pathetic reason.

"Well, it seems His Highness is having low blood pressure this morning," said a mocking voice.

"Tala!" the young prince spat, shooting him a glare that was all the scarier with his bloodshot eyes.

The newcomer, who the prince called Tala in a venomous tone, grimaced. "You look terrible," said the redhead, not at all scared of his bluntness and lack of respect for the blue-blood. They have been friends since childhood after all.

"What do you want with me so early in the morning that you deemed it fit to wake me from my slumber!?" the sleep-deprived prince snarled.

However, his childhood friend didn't seem fazed at all. He even dared to chuckle, amusement evident from the glint in his eyes. "Well, Your Highness, first of all, it's not as early in the morning as you think. In fact, it's high noon if you even bothered to draw back the curtains to see the light of day." The prince winced when the redhead pulled back the heavy curtains, almost blinding His Highness from the sheer brightness of the day.

"Secondly," Tala continued, "if you hadn't drunk yourself senseless last night at the ball you would've been awake earlier to hear the town a-buzzing with rumors."

"London is _always_ buzzing with rumors, Tala. Why does it matter?"

"I woke you up today, despite the threat of you ordering my head cut off hanging on me, to inform you of a matter that needs your attention. I'm sure it can be fitted under your…interests." To say the least, the young prince's curiosity was piqued. Only a number of people know about his mysterious interest in anything mysterious and baffling. It had something to do with his childhood memories that no one knows of and even Tala only knows that much.

"How mysterious do we have here?" the prince asked.

"How mysterious can it possibly get when we have a phantom in our hands?" Tala answered by a question that needs no answer.

"Then? Tell me all about it," the prince commanded.

"Ah, I'm afraid that you'll have to wait. Some things are on their way that may interest you. They are crucial to the case, my lord," said Tala.

"Very well. The usual room?" and he saw the redhead nod. "Hn. Leave me to my devices while I prepare myself to look presentable. I'll meet you by the door," and with a flick of a wrist, he dismissed his childhood friend and advisor in a silent command. Tala bowed with a flourish, turned around and exited the room in silent footsteps.

Twenty minutes later the prince, who we shall now identify as Prince Kai Hiwatari, stood beside Tala outside the Court Hall where important matters are discussed. This room was usually occupied by the King whenever he holds court, but has agreed to lend it to Prince Kai's use. Two guards were standing on each side of the double doors, discreetly eyeing their prince and his advisor for any sign of entering.

"Nervous, Your Highness?" Tala murmured, mocking amusement lacing each word.

"Shut up, Ivanov. And no, I'm not. I'm excited," replied the young prince, smoothing his front and clasping his hands behind his back. Tala only snickered. The guards took their cue and pushed open the double-doors. One of them announced in a booming voice, "His Highness, Prince Kai, and Advisor Tala Ivanov."

The people who were occupying the room immediately stood up and waited for the prince to tell them to sit. The prince stood just in front of the throne-like chair and observed the room, taking note of the occupants one by one. Then he sat, legs crossed, the left arm resting on the chair's left arm, and propped his cheek on his right fist. Tala stood on his left side.

The guests were starting to fidget when the order to sit never came. Their eyes were cast on the floor to avoid the intensity of the cold fire that was the prince's eyes. Tala shot a glance at the prince beside him. Finally, the prince closed his eyes and the others were relieved to be spared of them.

"Sit," said the prince in a low tone that echoed in the stillness and silence of the room.

The others jumped at the sudden sound and stood quite still. But when Prince Kai opened his eyes again because of the silence, they hastily complied. The Court Hall was a big and wide room located in the west wing of the palace. The room had a high ceiling that allows echoing of voices yet the doors and windows were made to be soundproof outside to prevent eavesdropping. The west side of the room's wall was lined with floor-to-ceiling windows with a painting per interval.

"Inspector," called the prince. "Tell me about this current case that's spreading rumors around this city like wildfire."

"Yes, Your Highness. It seems that there was a phantom thief who broke into the Reynard mansion, stole the Baron's jewel, left some parting gift and promptly disappeared."

The prince's brow quirked up. "Oh? Care to elaborate for me, Constable?" he turned to another man beside the inspector.

"Of course, Your Highness," the constable fished out of his trench coat two sealed plastic packets, each containing a white card. "I have with me the notes prior to the theft and after the theft."

"Notes?" asked Tala. "What does it say?"

"Rather than what it says, the appropriate question would be what it means," replied the constable, piquing Kai and Tala even more.

"What do you mean by that, Constable?" asked the prince.

"If I may, Your Highness," said the last man, attracting the room's attention.

"Who are you?" asked the prince point blank.

"Your Highness, this is a Dr. Dickinson, London's renowned philosopher slash poet," introduced Tala.

"A pleasure to meet you, Doctor, but why, are you on the case?" said Prince Kai.

"Well, Your Highness, going back to your question earlier, the message on the card weren't written in literal meaning."

"The thief wrote poems as warning?" asked the prince in incredulity.

"It would be fair and most understandable if we start at the beginning, Your Highness," said Dr. Dickinson.

"Very well, Doctor. If you please," prompted the prince.

"On the day before the actual theft, according to Baroness Reynard, they received the first card with no signature whatsoever. But an insignia of a rose with blue petals on the upper left corner of the card and another of a creature on the lower right," he indicated the card that the Constable held in his right hand.

"The Baroness stated that she took it as an insult and a prank upon reading it, but kept it in her top dresser drawer. She said that on the night of the Gala just as they were leaving, a deliveryman came with a bouquet of blue roses addressed to the manor with no sender. She had a maid put it in a vase and placed in the master bedroom and they left for the ball.

"Some time after midnight, the couple came home and straight to their bedroom, only to find their bed strewn with blue rose petals from a rose taken from the bouquet in the vase. And among the petals was another card and this time, there was a signature that said '_Phantom Dragon'_. The Baron stated that at the back of the card there was a brief message, quite literal I might add, that states what the Phantom stole.

"According to the butler's accounts, he was ordered by the Baron Reynard to check the safe in his office behind the painting of the previous baron, only to find it already open and the jewel missing," and Dr. Dickinson finished his account.

"I see. Then may I see those cards?" asked the prince.

The Constable placed them on the table and slid them across. Tala stepped forward and took them, handing them to the prince. Prince Kai studied the first one. It read:

_To fools, the treasures dug from wisdom's mine_

_Are Jewels thrown to Cocks, and Pearls to Swine._

The prince quirked a brow after reading this. "I think I understand why the Scotland Yard needs your expertise, Doctor. But I must say, only fools would take this as an insult instead of a blunt advice. This Phantom of ours does have quite a character."

Prince Kai went on to the next card. And it read:

_Several very pretty fellows, who are as great strangers_

_To the true uses of virtue and knowledge as the Cock_

_Upon the Dunghill is to the real value of the Jewel,_

_Endeavor to palliate their ignorance by pretending_

_That their taste lies another way._

_Phantom Dragon_

Kai's brows rose and he laughed in cynical amusement. "Clever man we have here, don't we, Tala?" he asked Tala, who was reading over his shoulder. He smirked, "Indeed, Your Highness. I cannot wait to meet this Phantom Dragon in person."

Kai turned over the card and read the short note. It read:

_P.S. I have taken the Jewel. I am glad that the bouquet I sent was received in good favor._

"Well Tala, I'll make sure to fulfill our wish. Sooner or later he'll be in my grasp, now that I'm on this case," said the prince in determination.

"I am glad, Your Highness, that my waking you up forcefully was worth this interesting case."

"Yes indeed. Now I have a new quarry to catch and a mystery I can behold." The prince gave the plastic-covered cards back to Tala and stood up quickly without losing any grace and poise.

"Inspector, Constable," called he. "I would like you to look deeper on the Reynards and how they obtained the Jewel. I need you to trace the Jewel's history before they landed into the Baron Reynard's grasp. Leave no stone unturned," he paused seemingly to think. "In fact, give me all you can find of the Reynards, connection or no. it matters not if you find dirt. Give it to me." He turned his attention to Dr. Dickinson. "Doctor, it would be a pleasure if you can visit me as often as you can to discuss this case. I believe you understand why I had the victims investigated?"

"Indeed, Your Highness. Allow me to praise your wisdom, my Lord. That you have understood the…poems' implications and known that they were accusations, is simply astonishing. It would be an honor to confer with a great mind such as yours," and the doctor bowed.

Laughing softly, Prince Kai smirked. "Then, Dr. Dickinson, I have one more question. Am I right to assume that the insignia of a creature on the card is in fact, an insignia of a dragon?"

**TBC...**

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axa: Hey! Like it? Yay! So I'll be starting someday on writing the sequel of my first story, In Whose Arms. But since it's in progress, I would like to hear from you want you want to read there. Actually, I'm in some sort of stump on that so you can say I'm begging you to give me someting to write about. And I can try fitting it. Review!


	3. Chapter 3

A blonde young man walked around mesmerized in a park in London. His eyes were huge, a child taking in all the sights and sounds. His companion, a young man with long hair wrapped in a long white strip of silk, a year older than the blonde, was laughing at his antics.

"Settle down, Max. Or you'll get yourself sick from all your turning," the young man said to the blonde, laughing here and there.

"But Rei, I've never been to England, much less in London! The whole place is amazing!" exclaimed Max.

"I haven't as well, Max. But you don't see me running around ooh-ing and ahh-ing over every little thing," Rei pointed out.

Max pouted childishly. "Well you're no fun. That's because you're older than me."

"And yet you are the one not acting your age. Americans," Rei sighed. "I can never understand your mannerisms. Your all-the-time bluntness might get you trouble in the near future."

"Hey! You know very well I'm half Japanese. Besides, I don't understand your Chinese customs, too so that makes the two of us," and he blew Rei a raspberry. "There's something weird about you acting older than you really are."

Rei was about to voice out his indignation but he was cut off by their other companion. "As much it entertains me to observe your flirty banter but I have no wish of attracting more attention than when they were eyeing your weird outfit, Rei," said a long-haired bluenette who had his hair tied in a low ponytail.

They were now at the entrance of the park. The bluenette, same age as Max, hailed a carriage and turned to his friends. "Let us get going or we'll be facing a Chief madder than a bull seeing red."

"Sorry Takao," the two apologized.

"As long as you understand," and Takao smiled, entering the carriage first. He waited for the two to settle themselves. The carriage driver set to motion once he was told of the next destination. Takao counted to three mentally, enough time for Max and Rei to realize the exact words Takao had used. On three, the carriage exploded with two people voicing their outrage.

"Hey!" "What do you mean 'flirty banter!?"

"We were _not flirting_!" Takao only laughed. Max and Rei fumed in silence all the way to their destination, shooting glares at the bluenette every time he would burst out laughing.

Half an hour later, they finally arrived at their destination. Out front stood an establishment that screamed high-society. When they were admitted in by the maître d' after checking for reservations, Max and Rei were quite blown away. On the inside, the whole place was decorated with carefully chosen antiques and artwork. The floor was carpeted with red velvet and gives the stepper the illusion of sinking.

Handing their overcoats, they followed behind the maitre d along a carpeted hallway where lamps of beautiful ironwork were lighted and placed throughout the walls of the hall on both sides, placed with paintings of nameless artists and all potted plants in intervals. They passed a number of private rooms and one with big double doors where highly ranked people dine in general. Up a flight of stairs they went, passing more paintings, and the third room to the right where they stopped.

"Master Kenneth is waiting for you inside. If you need anything or are ready to order, just pull the bell-rope and someone will be sent up to attend to you shortly. Until then, if you'll excuse me, have a good day, gentlemen," and the head waiter bowed, made a brisk turn and left them.

"Wow. That guy was stiff," Max commented.

"Max!" Rei was aghast. Takao ignored them and knocked softly on the door.

"Come in," came a muffled assent. Takao turned the knob and pushed the door slowly, taking note that the hinges were well-oiled.

Kenneth turned from his place and saw Takao. Hidden by his long bangs, his eyes widened. "Tyson!" he exclaimed, immediately standing up.

"Hey, Kenny. It's been a long time," said Takao, smiling reminiscently. He stepped aside to allow Max and Rei to enter. Kenny only looked in puzzlement.

"Hey Takao, why did he call you Tyson?" asked Max.

"Don't be silly, Max," Rei chided him. "Don't you remember? Takao's English name is Tyson."

"Oh, yeah… I forgot about that," Max said.

"Kenny, meet Max Mizuhara, the blonde one. He's half American, half Japanese. His full American name is Maximillian Tate. The raven-haired guy in a silk Chinese outfit is Rei Kon, a friend I met in China," Tyson introduced. Moving to Kenny, he placed a hand to his shoulder. "Guys, this is Earl Kenneth Dion, also known as Kenny but we sometimes call him Chief."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Tate, Mr. Kon," Kenny shook hands.

"Please, you are a friend of our friend, therefore you are also our friend. There's no need to be so formal. Given the situation, I think first names are in order," said Rei.

"Yeah, what he said," echoed Max. Kenny looked at Tyson with questioning eyes. Tyson sighed. "They know, Kenny."

"Oh, I see. Oh! I beg your pardon! Where are my manners? Please sit down," Kenny fussed.

"Relax, Chief. It's not like we're royalty," Max joked. But Kenny only shot a glance at Tyson, who only shrugged and sat down.

"So, before we move on to serious business, let's have a chat, shall we?" Kenny proposed.

"Sure! I'll go first," said Max. "How did you and Tyson meet?" he asked Kenny.

"Actually, we're childhood friends. That is, up until about ten years ago. But we still kept in touch," Kenny answered.

"Wow. That was so sweet!" Max said, stars and sparkles in his eyes. Kenny and the others sweat-dropped.

"Ahehe…Is he always like this?" Kenny asked Rei. Rei sighed and nodded. "Sadly, we've seen worse." Kenny decided he didn't want to know. "Moving along, how did you guys meet Tyson?"

"Oh, you remember, Kenny. I came to Japan by ship," Tyson said.

"Yes, I do. You wrote to me about it. You mentioned that Japanese are still uncomfortable with letting foreigners in, right?"

"Yeah. We even got attacked by those sword-wielding guys."

"Katana-wielding samurai," Max cut in.

" – wearing nothing but a robe and diapers for underwear," completed Tyson.

"Takao-san!" Max all but shouted.

"In the letter, I believe you used these exact words, 'screaming bloody murder'?" said Kenny.

"Yes. Anyway, we were taken to Japan's capital, Kyoto. And I'm telling you, their structures were made of wood but they were beautiful! You can't believe how many brothels they have, Chief! They even have brothels that cater male prostitution," exclaimed Tyson, not noticing the tomato-red that was overtaking Kenny's face.

"Tyson! That was way out off topic!" Kenny said hysterically. Rei only chuckled and Max continued to sulk.


	4. Chapter 4

axa: Hello there! Sorry about the late update. Again. God, I'm starting to hate myself for that. So, here goes the next chapter! On the subject of my sequel Reclaim, sad to say, but no one's sending any suggestions so I'm still neck-deeply stumped.

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_Recap: Takao, also known as Tyson finally introduced his newfound foreign friends to his childhood friend, Earl Kenny Dion. They are now talking or rather reminiscing about how each of them met each other. Here is the continuation…_

"Okay Chief, I was only teasing you," Kenny sighed in relief. "But that doesn't mean they were lies" said Tyson. Kenny blushed again and opened his mouth to reprimand him but he was cut off. "So, I was walking around when this kid bumped into me. So he apologized to me but he just won't stop squirming. And he was talking too fast but offered me a tour. It was weird because he was blonde and talking to me in English with this American accent but he was wearing those _yukata_ and was wearing those wooden slippers like a local."

"I introduced myself as Max Mizuhara and Tyson here looked all dumbstruck at me" Max picked it up from there. "He was asking me those weird questions like did I dye my hair blonde or how I got my blue eyes and are they natural. Then when he heard my name he said, and I quote, 'Your names don't match. Are you a Japanese wannabe or a foreigner wannabe?' And I'm telling you, if I wasn't high on sugar at that time I would've punched his lights out. But since I was, I merely laughed it off and explained that when my mom, an American, came to Japan years ago to negotiate with the shogun, she met my dad and fell in love.

"But my dad couldn't understand a word of English and mom knows only a few words in Japanese so when the shogun gave his consent to allow a few Japanese to come with the American ambassador to educate them in foreign ways, my dad jumped at the chance and came with mom to America. And while Dad was learning from Mom about foreign ways, Mom also learned from Dad about Japanese ways. They got married twice. The first one was in Mom's hometown, and the second one in Japan. Mom was made Ambassador to Japan and Dad's business was floundering. He's a blacksmith, a goldsmith, and a silversmith and does bronze smith at the side. Cool, huh?" said Max.

"Impressive," Kenny commented.

"So anyway, I brought Tyson home with me to meet my dad and join us for lunch. Dad really liked anything foreign. He met other smiths when he was out of the country and suitably impressed them. Now he's made himself a name among the smiths worldwide. But he liked to give equivalent names to everything and anyone foreign so when he met Tyson and learned his name, he christened Tyson as Takao Kinomiya and it kinda stuck."

"Ah. Now I understand," said Kenny.

"So you see, Chief, I was planning on heading for China and Max wanted to travel and meet up with his mom at some point so I invited him to travel with me," Tyson continued. He could see that Kenny was confused about something and he knew just what it was. "Mrs. Mizuhara was indeed Japan's American Ambassador but since she's so good at negotiations, not to mention that she's a famous scientist and inventor, she was often travelling to other countries to help with peace talks and share her knowledge and expertise," Tyson explained.

"Putting that aside, Dad was ecstatic to hear it and readily gave his assent and helped me pack," Max once again continued. "So we boarded a ship, and the ocean was so…far! Did I mention I loved the sea? Anyway, we came to Beijing and they have these trendy clothes like a cross between Western and Japanese clothing with a touch of Chinese. They were different to Rei's outfit, though. I could really see similarities between Japanese and their culture. But we were hungry when we arrived and we went in the first decent-looking restaurant and you could practically taste the food in your mouth with those delicious aromas. Rei was the main cook there despite his age. And he was well-learned in the English language, you couldn't trace any accent. He offered to give us a tour the next day because it was his day off and he had no training," Max said.

"They accepted of course," Rei picked up the thread of the story. "They were telling me what they just told you earlier and I in return, told them all about me. I was one of the many apprentices in a temple but unlike others, they allowed me to grow my hair long. Sometimes foreigners come and offer to teach us and I would accept their offers. That's why I know English. Max and Tyson taught me Japanese and it was pretty easy to learn. But no matter how hard they try they just couldn't learn mine. I know you're wondering about my feline attributes, Chief so I'll tell you. It has something to do with my being allowed to grow my hair."

"I came from a small village high up in the mountains. We are a tribe of 'nekojins' if I use its Japanese term. We are beings possessed with cat-like attributes and agility, hence my pointy ears, cat-like golden eyes, and fangs. Ah, but when Tyson offered me a chance to travel, I jumped at the chance and left with them and here we are. I imagine my friends are sore with me now." At the end of Rei's account, Tyson and Max's stomach grumbled. Kenny only smiled in amusement.

"To think I was expecting that a little earlier. But I wouldn't have thought of Max being the same as you, Tyson," said Kenny. He pulled the bell rope and a minute later there came a soft knock on the door. "Come in," said Kenny.

"You rang, Master Dion?" asked the waiter.

"Just Master Kenneth, if you please. Master Dion is my father," Kenny said dryly.

"My apologies, Master Kenneth, how may I be of service?"

"May we have the menu please? My friends and I are famished."

"Of course," and the waiter gave them each a menu. He took out a notepad and a pen and waited, as a waiter should.

"You know, Kenny," said Tyson. "Max and Rei are new to this type of food. Why don't we have a full-course meal of their special?"

"Excellent suggestion, Tyson. You're always right when it comes to food," said Kenny. He turned to the waiter and said, "You heard the man, the special it is."

"Very good, Sir. Wine?" said the waiter.

"What's your name?" Tyson asked. He waiter looked surprised but none the less, he answered, "Jonathan."

"Then Jon, we'll just have pumpkin juice and lemonade, two glasses each. If and when we ring for refills, I would be very pleased if you would be the one to serve us again."

"It would be my pleasure Master Tyson, sir," Jonathan bowed, collected the menus and left, eager to please.

"_Sugoi, Taka-chan,"_ Max said in his half native language. Rei nodded in agreement. Tyson only shrugged. And Kenny was lost. "Excuse me?"

"Relax, Chief. Max said that what I did was amazing," Tyson said.

"Putting that aside," Rei intervened. "What did you do to the Deep Sea jewel?" Rei asked Tyson. Kenny paled. "Tyson! How does he –"

"Not so loud, Rei. You never know when walls have ears. And, to answer your question, it is on its way to Mizuhara's hands. He'll return it to the rightful owners in my name."

"And name being?" Max asked.

"Phantom Dragon, of course," Tyson answered. By this time, Kenny had recalled Rei's words from earlier, 'given the situation'. He sighed, "still, why must you be so overly dramatic?" he whined. "We could have had it without a rumor of a phantom thief running loose."

"What would be the fun in that? Besides, I've waited for this moment to expose those filthy bastards' corruption for years," Tyson uttered the last part in a hiss.

"Just so you know, Tyson. The mysteriousness of the case and the thief himself has attracted the attention of a very powerful man. Now, Kai is on the case," Kenny announced.

"I see," Tyson said grimly. "We'll deal with it when the time comes. But right now, I can't afford to be captured by him." And he quickly changed his mood. "So Chief, I brought home a lot of stuff from the East and I'm sure you'll be quite interested to see them. Some of those souvenirs are yours so why don't you come over after here?"

"Sure, Tyson. We've a lot of catching up to do," said Kenny. Max and Rei really wanted to know who this Kai was but seeing Tyson's demeanor when the name was uttered, they refrained. Just then, there was a knock on the door. Their meals have arrived.

**TBC...**

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axa: How do you like it so far? I would really like to hear from you of any bad points you have detected in my story. I certainly want to improve myself for all intents and purposes. Plus, how about those suggestions? Please? I'm just about hanging on my last thread here...


	5. Chapter 5

axa:So here it is. In the next chapter is also as short as this. The chapter after that, the two leading characters meet. Look forward to it ok?

Disclaimer: The italized quote in this reading material is copyrighted and borrowed from the work of "Aesop's Fables".

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One week later…

Buckingham Palace

"Tell me again, Doctor, why we must consider the possibility that our thief is female," Prince Kai asked of Dr. Dickinson while they had tea and scones in the palace gardens.

"Because, Your Highness, the elegant handwriting is completely neutral, that a female could have written it as much as a male," Dr. Dickinson answered patiently.

Just then, Tala came and whispered something into the prince's ear. The prince looked thoughtful and smirked in pure smugness. "Fantastic," said he. "Let him in and have tea with us. You join us as well, Tala." Tala bowed and made a swishing exit, footsteps as silent as ever. Kai turned to the doctor, the smug smile still in place. "I hope you don't mind, Doctor. It seems that the Constable has arrived and wished for my audience. I am told that he come bearing interesting information crucial to the case."

"I don't mind in the least, Your Highness. In fact, it is an honor that you deem me worthy of hearing this information along side you," said the doctor in sincere humbleness. The prince smirked, clearly pleased. The door to the foyer opened and down the steps came the sound of booted feet. Tala appeared once again, trailed by the Constable, heavy footsteps apparent. The constable looked grim.

"Please sit down and talk. Tea and scones will be after our discussion," the prince said in a no nonsense voice once they came within hearing distance. They sat down and the Constable immediately handed a folder to Tala, who in turn, passed it to Kai. He opened it and scanned the contents.

"Hmm…" the prince hummed after a while. He quirked a brow at the Constable but addressed Tala and Dr. Dickinson. "Jarring evidence, I'm sure. It looks like we have a local Robinhood in the guise of a Phantom thief in our hands."

Tala laughed in mocking amusement, surprising the others but the prince, who only smirked. "E-excuse me," he got himself under control. "It seems the case just got all the more interesting, don't you think so, Your Highness?"

"Oh, yes. But putting that aside, what are we going to do with these scandalous evidences? We have to deal with the Baron as is fit of scum like him who wears the airs of nobility as a cover for his greed," said the prince in a freezing tone.

"Excuse me for interrupting," said the doctor, "but what are we discussing?"

"I apologize, Doctor," Kai spoke. "I suppose it's quite confusing when I haven't even revealed the information yet. But Tala seems to catch on quickly."

Tala snorted, to the Constable's shock. "That's because I've known His Highness long before I became your Advisor." Prince Kai laughed dryly. "That's true."

"Moving along, Doctor, the papers I have here in my grasp are the results of digging into the baron Reynard's background. Apparently, the Baron obtained the Deep Sea jewel through illegal means," Prince Kai said casually. The doctor gasped. "My word! This must be handed tot the authorities."

"You forget, Doctor, that we already have the Constable's and the Inspector's cooperation. If we include the whole lawmen, then chances are that the evidences will disappear and Reynard will be scot-free. His position as a noble can be used as an advantage monetary-wise. There are, after all, people of the authorities who are susceptible to a bribe. What we _should_ do is to let the King know and leave the Baron's sentence in His Majesty's hands," the prince informed Dr. Dickinson.

"Do you not think you are going overboard?" the doctor asked. The door to the foyer burst open in a flutter of activity. The maids were screeching, "Stop! Have you no manners for His Highness?"

The prince looked up lazily, staring at the Inspector who dared to barge in. but he answered the doctor as if the interruption never occurred. "_Excessive greediness mislead men, and often bring them into great straits through heedlessness and negligence_."

Dr. Dickinson looked startled at the words. But before he could ask for further elaboration, the Inspector arrived, fighting to get his breath under control. "My…*pant*…apologies, Your…*pant*…Highness…I …bring news…"

"Well? What news could possibly be important to warrant your disrespectfully barging on me while I'm busy entertaining guests?" said the prince, venom dripping at every word. The Inspector straightened and held out a white card. "The Phantom Dragon has sent out another notice. His next target is the Old Earl John Cherryburn of Cherryburn Manor." There was a stunned silence, which was broken by Tala.

"You mean, the old grumpy noble with the worst disposition that could've graced the King's presence?" Tala muttered in incredulity.

"Shut up, Ivanov. We have no time for this. Constable," Prince Kai stood up and looked at him. "Figure out what our thief's after from that old coot. Dig through his background for all the dirt and we'll find out. And Inspector," Kai's attention swerved. "Prepare for a stake out. If the Earl refuses, tell him that it's under my order whether he refuses or not. Tala and I will join you at a later time. If we're lucky, we might be able to get a glimpse of our elusive thief. Doctor, would you like to come with us?" Kai asked the doctor.

"My, so much excitement for one day," Dr. Dickinson murmured. Prince Kai took that as a yes and chuckled mirthlessly. "I agree, Doctor. Isn't life grand?"

**TBC...**

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axa:So here it is again. I have just found a new idea for my sequel Reclaim. But here's the glitch: I can't write it yet coz I'm working on something else. But really, I need some of your ideas. So let's get our creative juices running ok?


	6. Chapter 6

axa: Hello guys! That was a quick update! Well, I've got nothing new to share so keep on reading!

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"Ne, Takao-chan," Max called. "Why didn't you send any flowers today?" Tyson was in the process of masking his eyes with a blue as deep as the sea with marks that look like scales. "Because the Earl isn't a woman. There are no women in his manor save for the maids. And lastly, his garden conveniently grows the same type of rose." A knock came at the door.

"Tyson, are you ready? You know you have to be there by midnight right?" came Kenny's muffled voice. Tyson opened the door just as Rei arrived. Rei whistled and said, "This isn't the first time I saw you in that outfit but I can't help but be caught off-guard anyway." The outfit was a well-styled black tuxedo with beautiful blue stitching of dragons on both lapels. The bowtie was as blue as the mask. The black tux is well matched with black tight pants showing off his deceptively feminine figure, and is tucked neatly in a pair of obviously expensive black boots with an inch of heels.

"What are you stealing again?" Rei asked immediately, not fazed by the Chief's outburst of "it's not stealing! It's retrieving!" Max patted him on the back to soothe him. "Whatever, Chief."

Tyson sighed, massaging his temples because of the developing headache courtesy of the three stooges. "To answer your question, Rei, it's a golden vessel used in worshipping the Greek God of the Sun, Apollo."

"What's that doing in his hands?" Max asked. Kenny straightened his coat and fingered his glasses. "According to my investigation," he answered for Tyson. "In his late twenties, the Earl had sailed to Greece for a three-week vacation. My sources indicate that before he left for Greece, he had someone make a counterfeit of the original and switched it with the real thing when he got the chance. Since no one suspected him, he made it out of the country without the authorities searching his ship. The switch wasn't discovered until ten years later when the vessel was about falling apart. What set them off is that the seal of Apollo on the vessel was a mirror-image of the real seal, meaning it was inverted."

"Plus, they got suspicious when the vessel showed signs of rust when it's supposed to be made of pure gold," Tyson added while fixing his black cape around his shoulders, where the other side of the cape is as blue as the night sky come midnight, a perfect blending of colors.

The two Asians gaped at them. And Rei, who recovered first, said, "You guys are amazing! But if there are other artifacts and treasures that are of Asian origin, leave it to Max and me to give you the information," he offered.

"I'll gladly accept," Tyson accepted. "After all, I've been travelling for years since I was but a little runt. And I've been collecting information with the Chief's help. I'd best be going. We still have to fetch Mrs. Mizuhara from the port tomorrow," turning to Kenny, he said, "Thanks for allowing Dion Manor to be the Phantom's base of operations, Kenny."

"It's nothing, Tyson. I'll send Max and Rei back to your manor as we have arranged. Now shoo! You have business to attend to," Kenny shooed him away.

"I'm going! I'm going! I'll drop in after the heist then I'm off to my bed, okay Kenny?" Tyson went out to that room's balcony and, with as much flourish as the time back at the Reynard Manor, he disappeared off into the night. Oddly, a rain of blue rose petals followed its wake, glistening under the light of the moon.

**TBC...**

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axa:Review!


	7. Chapter 7

axa: Well, I thank you for your reviews, especially RML for your support. thanks for considering my asking of your help so it's okay if you have no idea. Lady Kirei, I personally address you in response to your review( thanks for that by the way). I also want to watch this Kaito St. Tail you speak of. But I am afraid of disappointing you since my Tyka here is kinda very mild. Sorry about that. Speaking of which, I can't seem to find your contact address so could you write it down again? I would like to get in touch with you if I can.

Disclaimer: The following italized prose is copyrighted from the book, Aesop's Fables. Other characters from Beyblade belongs to Takao Aoki. The plot is mine no matter the similarities with others since I actually used my brain cells to think this up. As it is, Enjoy!

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"For the last time, Earl Cherryburn, go to your room and rest," said Tala in a growl, his patience wearing thin of the old Earl's incessant complaints. They have been waiting for hours and it's practically midnight and yet there is still no sign of the Phantom Dragon.

"Relax, Ivanov, there's still plenty of time before morning comes," Prince Kai said from his seat by the fireplace, all warm and comfortable. Tala shot him a glare. "I don't understand how you can relax and stay calm," Tala spat at Kai, not bothering with formalities. He was about to add some more when gasps and incredulous shouts from the guards outside alerted them. In three long strides, Prince Kai went out to the foyer and froze. Outside were hundreds of petals pouring from nowhere. _'Blue rose petals. It means that the Phantom Dragon is here,' _Kai thought.

Without a word he turned and was heading for the stairs leading up to the second floor, turning left until he reached the small library adjoining the Master bedroom. Tala barked orders to keep on the lookout and called the Inspector and the Constable to follow him as he hurried after Prince Kai. Kai went in the room just as the moon was enveloped by the clouds, shrouding the room in darkness. By the time the clouds released the moon's rays, the whole library was littered with petals, with some more floating in from the open balcony doors. And there on the balcony's railings standing in perfect balance, stood the Phantom Dragon, a sack in one hand where the stolen item most probably is. He was staring at Kai's bloody crimson eyes staring into familiar midnight-blue, giving the prince a jolt.

"So the rumors were true," came a soft voice from the Phantom's mouth that was curved in a mischievous smile. "To what do I owe the pleasure of having Prince Hiwatari Kai chase on my heels?" the Phantom Dragon spoke in a breathy, sultry voice, confusing the gentlemen of their thief's gender.

Prince Kai lifted an eyebrow sardonically, "You _do_ really have quite the character, thief. But pray tell, why do you play Robinhood?"

"Oh, so you have noticed," the Phantom Dragon laughed huskily. Its tone sent shivers through the prince's body. "Ah, but I'm not up to par with the saintly Robinhood, I'm afraid. I steal to return, not to give to the poor. Sorry I ruined your image of me" and the thief laughed again. The Phantom took off his top hat and swung it in a gentlemanly bow.

"Though it pleases me to have this chance to chat with my captors, I apologize, gentlemen for I must leave. I have a curfew to catch and a thief needs its beauty sleep, you know." The Constable and the Inspector roared in outrage and strived to catch the departing Phantom Dragon while Tala stood by Kai, eyeing him with veiled curiosity. They both watched as the two men were stopped in their tracks when a sudden gust of wind brought more petals gushing their way, temporarily blinding them. At that moment, Kai saw the thief hold out a hand and from it flew a white card carried by the petal strewn wind.

The prince caught it without breaking eye contact with the Phantom. The thief jumped off the balcony with a swish of his cape and disappeared into the night. The wind stopped its powerful gushing and as mysteriously as the rain of petals came, it mysteriously ceased. The Earl bellowed in outrage and contempt but ceased immediately when Prince Kai turned on him.

"I believe that this calling card is for you," said the prince and gave the card to the old man, who took it with trembling fingers. Prince Kai took out the pre-theft calling card and read it over again.

_Base is the man who pines amidst his store,_

_And fat with plenty, griping, covets more:_

_But doubly vile, by av'rice when betray'd,_

_He quits the substance for an empty shade._

He turned to the earl with an uninterested gaze when he heard Cherryburn gasp. He watched in detachment the earl's pallid face and inquisitively observed those crinkled fingers shake and dropped the card. Tala picked it up and silently gave it back to the prince who read it.

_Excessive greediness mostly in the end misses what it_

_Aims at; disorderly appetites seldom obtain what_

_They would have; passions mislead men, and often_

_Bring them into great straits and inconveniences,_

_Through heedlessness and negligence._

Prince Kai's eyes widened in surprise and then he laughed out loud in cynical amusement. The Earl stared at him in disbelief. Tala looked at him as if he's lost his mind but agrees with him. Dr. Dickinson stared unabashedly, his mouth agape. The Inspector and the Constable looked on with wide eyes and thought the prince crazy.

Slowly the laughter subsided and Kai addressed Dr. Dickinson. "Ah, Doctor you must have a look at this. Never before have I been so amused and thoroughly entertained as to think that the point I phrased earlier during tea is written down on this very card as a prose of so may words." Tala chuckled softly, being of the same disposition as the prince. Prince Kai turned the card over and laughed lightly.

"I believe there's a post script just for you, Earl Cherryburn. But first, you are under arrest for international theft, a sacrilege for stealing a golden vessel of the Temple of Apollo. You are hereby stripped of your title and influence until further notice from the King himself. Until then, you are under house arrest," Prince Kai said casually.

The Earl was cuffed and was about to be marched into the connecting doors to his bedroom when Prince Kai said one more thing. "Oh, and the Phantom Dragon has a message for you," he made a show of reading the card out loud.

"_P.S. Thank you for the use of your personal blue roses. It would be a pity if I made a shabby entrance and I must say, raining flower petals from your very own bushes of blue roses made such wonderful effects wouldn't you agree?"_

The birds were disturbed from their nests as a loud roar was heard echoing from the Cherryburn Manor; Its decibel rudely awakening some neighbors.

**TBC...**

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axa: So, there! Anyway, I really need your ideas for my sequel, Reclaim. Also, I'm kinda busy with other stories. I have to seriously blame my own brain and its scheming dreams so that I could create a story of which I know nothing about. So anyway...Help!


	8. Chapter 8

axa: Hello there! So pleased I am for receiving reviews from new people and old ones alike. Thanks for those of you who had favourited(made-up word) me as an author and my story. Well I am still hoping to not disappoint you as this story continues. Anyway, enjoy!

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Two weeks have passed since the successful theft of the golden vessel of Apollo. The people of the temple had sent them a treasure chest full of jewels, gemstones of various sizes, and things of gold, silver and bronze. Poor Kenny nearly had a heart attack with the sizes of the pearls of black and white. The four of them decided to keep the bulk of it in the treasure chest and store it into Tyson's secret vault hidden within the very depths of his mansion.

"Tyson, what do you plan to do about the ball?" Kenny asked Tyson when they got home from shopping with and for Max and Rei.

"The business with this Prince Kai thing sounds serious. Will you just stay home?" asked Rei. They were told a little about the relation of Prince Kai and Tyson.

"There's no way I'll miss such a grand event," said Tyson fervently. Rei and Max smiled proud of Tyson's bravery. Kenny watched with wariness. "Besides, think of all the delicacies I'll be missing if I stay," Tyson proclaimed, a fist raised high in determination. The two Asians gaped; their eyes grew to unmentionable degrees. Kenny sighed, mumbling 'I knew it' under his breath.

Finally Max recovered enough to ask his gluttonous friend what he's going to do about disguising. "Don't worry, Max. Mizuhara-obasan and I planned on it. Good thing it's a mask ball this time, huh?"

Just then, down the stairs outside the sitting room came the clicking sound of heeled feet. They all stared at the doorway, waiting for the person to emerge. Mrs. Mizuhara appeared, clad in a frilly dress with a touch of Japanese style. Her hair was done up in a loose bun, curls of blonde flowing about her face like waterfalls. "I'm done now and it's time for you guys to dress up for the ball as well. I'll go with _Takao-chan_ to his room for his special treatment so you gentlemen better be waiting for us at the foot of the stairs after I'm done."

"_Hai_, Mom," said Max, mock saluting. They went out in single-file, moving to their respective rooms in Tyson's humongous mansion. Judy went with Tyson to his room for a _complete_ make-over.

About an hour later, the three gentlemen Rei, Max, and Kenny had been waiting for the other two at the foot of the stairs. Rei was decked in silk and lace of a white Chinese suit with red ties. His usual headband is absent for this occasion but the yin yang sign can be found on the upper left of his suit just over his heart. He wore a gold necklace with a jade pendant the shape of a miniature white tiger. Max wore his most expensive yukata where you could clearly see underneath that he's wearing western suit. Both were in different shades of green and the cufflinks were emeralds. But under those clothes he wore a pendant shaped like a teardrop the size of a thumb, a swirly purple in color. It was a present from his mother. Kenny was impressively formal and fetching, looking every bit like the noble Earl Kenneth Dion naturally is. His white cravat was starched and a brooch was pinned on it, a pearly black rimmed with gold amid the nest of white.

Finally Mrs. Judy Mizuhara emerged, followed by a midnight-haired female in a kimono of blue and black where the black part is spotted with blue and pink flower petals. Underneath the kimono is a frilly skirt. Her high-heeled boots were a dark blue, her hands covered with dainty white gloves, where a black choker around her neck where at the center is a blue stone that when shined upon sparks like the slits of a wild cat's eyes glowing in the dark f night, or rather, the Dragon's eye, as this accessory is aptly named. Her lips were painted a light pink, her eyes masked by the realistically-scaled Dragon mask used by the Phantom Dragon. A part of her hair, the one framing the left cheek, was tied in a black ribbon in a crisscross manner, thus completing the image of the beautiful stranger now standing before them.

The girl's lips curved in a mischievous smile. "Well I do believe the gentlemen have given their verdict, Judy-san," she said mischievously in a breathy tone that came out seductively.

"Wha-" Rei uttered, the three of them quite dazed. Mrs. Mizuhara giggled, hiding her mouth with a feathery fan. "You are absolutely right, _Takao-chan_. It seems your _beauty_ blew hem away into incoherency."

"Ta-Takao-chan!?" Max spluttered. "Uh?" Kenny uttered dumbly.

Tyson whipped out his own fan from within his left sleeve and masked his breathy laughter oozing with smugness. His fan, unlike the feathery one Mrs. Mizuhara owns, is less feathery and a lot more simple with artistic painting of a long blue Japanese, serpent-like dragon flying across the open fan amidst the clouds over a beautifully depicted village. On a tiny corner was a fine Japanese calligraphy, the name of its owner Kinomiya Takao-chan.

"I don't know if I should be flattered or insulted that you be so mesmerized with my feminine side," Tyson said from behind the fan.

"I suggest you clamp your mouths shut, stop goggling and let us leave. We have a ball to take by storm," Mrs. Mizuhara rousted them all.

"The invitation has been sent. All it takes is to blow through this party like a hurricane and breeze past with my next conquest. This party will soon be a memorable one," Tyson said, an excited smile and an anticipating glint in his eyes and face.

**TBC...**

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axa: Hello again! Regarding ideas for my sequel, Reclaim(see prequel called In Whose Arms), I'm still hoping some of you voice out what you want to read in the story. Review! I want to communicate with you!


	9. Chapter 9

axa: Wow! So many reviews in my opinion. So here goes my response for those of you who asked questions. To:

**CSSRonin:** Yes, Tyson is some kind of noble. just find out later how much of a noble he actually is as the story continues. The mask doesn't really sound bad since its a mask ball anyway. Kai still believes that the thief is a boy(and he's right) as you can attest after reading this chapter. Besides, Tyson is just too girly when he behaves himself. That's the whle point anyway. The necklaces are connected to their bit beasts along with the unexpected twist and will be shown at the end of this story. Thanks for asking! ^^!

**SouthernDragon:** tyson is crossdressing to infiltrate(cool word!) the ball. And yes, those pendants are connected w/ bit beasts. By the way, your questions are not weird. I like it when my revies come with questions, actually.

Disclaimer: Yada, yada... The prose is from Aeosop's Fables and the charcters except the few, belong to Takao Aoki.

Read on!

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The Grand Ball, the grandest ball of the season was held by the Royal family in one of their largest mansions with the most spacious ballroom. The whole manor was lit with many chandeliers that even the gardens were well-illuminated. The fireplaces were lighted as well to keep the chill of the night at bay from the female guests mostly who deign to wear… less lace and more… skin – the brave ones. The ballroom was placed with round tables and chairs in a wide arc where on its opposite side a long table was placed for the food.

Since the ball is hosted by the Royal family, as such, Prince Kai cannot be absent from this social gathering, no matter how much he dislikes it. And Tala can't get enough of throwing this fact on his face every opportunity he has. All in all, Kai's been in a bad mood since earlier that day. It doesn't help when he knows that after a few hours he would be surrounded by a horde of preying beasts they call female.

To show his rebellion he painted his face with two blue shark fin-shaped streaks on both cheeks. The redhead only laughed at him when he saw them. "What a childish act, Your Highness," Tala mocked him. The prince only scowled some more. The double doors to the ballroom opened and a large vase of blue roses was carried in by one of the attendants, catching the prince's attention.

"You, there," he called to the attendant. "Those roses are not part of the decoration," he said when he and Tala approached the lad.

"Beg your pardon, Your Highness," the attendant said, eyes directed on the ground. "It was sen here by an anonymous person said to be one of the guests that will be arriving later."

"There's a card, I see," Tala observed. Kai took the card from amid the roses and his eyes widened. It was actually a calling card of the Phantom Dragon.

"What is the meaning of this? Are we the next target? How blasphemous," Kai said to no one in particular. Tala had sent the attendant away after setting the vase on the table.

"Who knows? Why don't you read it?" Tala prompted. Kai proceeded to read it aloud. It read:

_Short-sighted wretch! Endure thy care,_

_Nor have th' impatient sigh:_

_Heav'n hears thee, but perhaps thy pray'r_

'_Tis mercy to deny._

Prince Kai was clueless. It was a good thing that he had sent an invitation to Dr. Dickinson to attend this ball. "There's more at the back," Tala said, indicating the writings at the back of he card. It said:

_P.S. Rest assured, Your Highness, it is not you who I aim for, but one of your guests who claims to be holy._

"Quick, Tal, the guest list! And the background papers of all the higher-ups I had the Constable compile," the prince ordered his advisor who hastened. Tala handed him the papers and he checked the guest list first. "'Claims to be holy' must mean that the person we're looking for is at the very least a priest. Who do we have?"

"There," Tala pointed at a name on the list. "Archbishop Theodore Windsor, a holy man of forty years. He's been suspected of unholy activities but so far he has not been caught in the act. The witnesses we have are either dead or won't talk," Tala informed him.

"What does the file on him say?" Kai asked his advisor.

Tala shuffled some papers until he found it. "It says here that he's been demanding payment of people who seek divine help."

"That's it? Then what could our phantom thief possibly steal from this other thief of the holy cloth? And don't tell me it's the payments, Tal since our mysterious phantom clearly said he's no Robinhood," Kai said the last part when he saw Tala open his mouth to answer. His suspicions were right when he saw his childhood friend pout in response. Ah, the perks of being childhood friends. Too bad it works both ways.

"Well, as it is, all we can do is wait. If we're lucky, we may have the chance to finally discover our elusive thief's identity," Kai said, resigned.

"Provided he or she's one of the invited people from the guest list," Tala added.

"Provided," Kai conceded. "Or we're doomed if he's a guest of our guests," Kai said.

"You are stubborn in thinking that our phantom is male, aren't you?" Tala asked rhetorically. "Just because you happen to fancy people of your gender, doesn't mean any mysterious and breathtaking person that comes along are rightfully male you can harvest on," he stated in exasperation. He growled when the prince walked away, obviously avoiding him. His words fell on deaf ears. "Serves you right when the Phantom Dragon shows up in a dress, never mind the mask," Tala grumbled, stomping after his liege in a still dignified manner. (A/N: How's that possible?) Oh, how true his words were in tonight's events.

**TBC...**

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axa: Hahaha! Feast your eyes on the next chapter when Kai is threatened with the possiblity of having his eyes burned from staring too much at a very exotic beauty named Takao! Ciaossu!


	10. Chapter 10

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axa:So here it is! The much awaited meeting of the two! Gosh and all, but I hope you like it!

They arrived soon after by carriage bearing the Dion crest, a purple mythical creature their clan named as Dizzara but is fondly referred to as Dizzy. A footman opened the carriage door and out went the unmasked young Earl Kenneth Dion whose father retired early and left with his mother to travel the world. He was followed by his masked guests, the females assisted by the attending footman. The last to exit the carriage was none other than the enigma of the female guests who saw her, Ms. Takao Kinomiya.

They were led to the entrance of the large ballroom where the party was already in full swing. Two attendants were standing on each side of the double doors, one of which stepped forward and asked for the invitation. Kenny handed over the card and asked to be announced as "Earl Kenneth Dion and guests." The doors were opened before them and the same attendant announced in a loud voice, "Earl Kenneth Dion and guests," which carried throughout the ballroom. The loud buzzing ceased at once and the musicians stopped their playing. All eyes turned toward the newcomers who were slowly descending the stairway. Then gossip spread like wildfire, mostly among the female population, hiding their machine gun mouths behind their fluttering fans.

"Can you believe it? He actually came. And with guests, too!" a group of young girls were gossiping.

"No matter what, you must get him to court you," a mother told her daughter. "Think of the fame and fortune we'll obtain when you marry the young earl. Oh, never mind his unbecoming glasses!"

"Look at his young lady guests, Mother. Those dresses are quite… different, don't you agree?" a young chit chatted with her mother. "The younger one looks… underdressed and yet that dress suits her so. And what a lovely mask! How scandalous!"

"Exotic-looking guests, wouldn't you agree, Your Highness?" said one of the girls who were surrounding Prince Kai, vying for attention.

Kai said nothing, only staring at the girl with midnight-blue hair and that familiar mask she wears. There's something captivating about her, like a goddess descending in the form of an exotic angel. And for the life of him, he felt drawn for the first time to a member of the opposite gender. Tala did not miss the look his childhood friend wore as he gazed at the girl. He very well understood the feeling for he, himself felt inexplicably attracted to the new angelic specimen that deign to grace the ball with her heavenly presence.

The music started up again and the people once again chatted and mingled, filling the room with buzzes of conversation. Kenny and his group made their way to a vacant table where Max pulled out a chair for his mother to sit in. Rei and Max sat down at the same time next to each other. And Kenny pulled out a chair for Takao-chan to sit, then took a seat himself.

Prince Kai cursed the females' unpredictable mind. He painted his face and opted not to wear any mask as a sign of open rebellion of his unwilling attendance to this Royal Grand Ball. He hoped that by doing so, he would scare off any _vultures_ that wish to prey on his high rank in the kingdom. His plan fell to pieces when those chits only flocked all the more so to him. Painting his face only backfired on him. Now these overly-perfumed beings are blocking his way toward one precious jewel among their kind.

Kenny and the others received glasses of beverages ranging from fruit punch to champagne. Prince Kai, with a little help from Tala, managed to escape and they both made it to Earl Dion's table with little mishap. At that moment, the attendant from the entrance announced, "Ambassador of Japan, General Tachibana and his daughter."

Max, Judy and Takao-chan stilled eyes wide. The two teens grinned and Judy was positively ecstatic. The other two just looked at them, puzzled until Kenny noticed His Highness Prince Kai and his advisor Tala, standing right behind Takao-chan. He stood up immediately and bowed. "Your Highness, Advisor, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

Tyson went rigid and refused to turn around and encounter head on the smoldering gaze he felt boring holes on his back. Kai signaled Kenny to sit down. "Your guests intrigued me, especially with their unique clothes. But the introductions will come later. Firstly, have you heard the recent gossip just when you arrived? No one would have thought that you'd be accepting the invitation and attend…Kenny." Kai smirked at the young earl.

Kenny looked relieved and smiled cynically. "Thanks a lot, Kai. But coming from you, I feel a lot better. At least you have a more dire case than mine." He gestured his guests and introduced them one by one. "The man in silk of Chinese origin is a friend of mine from China. His name is Rei Kon," and Rei stood up, taking off his mask and bowing in is traditional Chinese way. "He's quite learned and a polyglot plus he's quite famous and revered in his country."

Kai and Tala were surprised by Rei's cat-like features. "Nice to meet you," they both murmured.

"Believe me, the pleasure is all mine, Your Highness, Advisor," Rei replied in English without any accent, sitting down again without bothering with the mask again.

"The lovely woman to your left is Mrs. Judy Mizuhara and her son, Max Mizuhara. She's the American ambassador married to the world renowned Japanese smith," Kenny continued. Max placed his kitsune mask to the side of his head and smiled his greeting.

"You have quite an intriguing mask there, Mr. Mizuhara," Tala said.

"It's a kitsune mask. In your language, it would be a fox mask. It's quite known in Japan due to our superstitious beliefs," Max cheerfully explained.

"Mrs. Mizuhara," Kai bowed. "Your husband is very talented in his occupation. The royal family has quite a few pieces of his. I, myself, own several Japanese swords he forged."

"Ah, but Kai, she is quite an accomplished woman. Not only is she an ambassador on demand for peace talks to other countries, she can hold her own as a scientist. In fact, her knowledge is quite in demand wherever she goes," Kenny sang high praises.

"You exaggerate, Kenny," Judy said humbly. "And please call me Judy."

"Call me Max too!" Max piped up. "And you can just call that neko over there Rei," he pointed at Rei.

"_Neko?_" Tala repeated, confused.

"It means cat in Japanese," Kenny answered.

"Putting that aside," Prince Kai cut in smoothly. "Who is this mysterious creature before me, Kenny?"

"Impatient are we, Kai?" Kenny asked in amusement. Judy giggled behind her fan.

"On the contrary, Kenny," Kai contradicted. "I'm a very patient man. But there comes a time when something drags too long and you know I can get very irritated, Kenny."

"Yes, I do know that for a fact. It comes with experience from being childhood friends," Kenny agreed, nodding sagely. "Takao-chan," Kenny addressed his last guest. "Can you please face Kai?"

Takao slowly shifted in her seat so that she was sitting sideways in a demure fashion, her head slowly lifted and she gazed directly at Kai, her hands clenching her fan on her lap. Crimson orbs meet swirly pools of midnight peering through those holes of her mask. Kai, a self-proclaimed homo, is now entertaining the possibility of being a bi.

"This is Ms. Takao Kinomiya, a family friend of Mizuharas," Kenny introduced her, successfully hiding his anxiety and urge to guffaw.

Takao smiled sweetly. "_Yoroshiku onegai shimasu!" _she said in a seemingly seductive tone. Kai was mesmerized and all but gulped when his throat suddenly felt dry. Takao-chan looked at Kai in concern when he didn't respond. "_Doushimashita_?" she asked him. But Prince Kai only looked at her, his face expressionless and suffused with a red tint. Her left hand flew to her mouth, face showing alarm. "_Kyouji-kun taihen! Kai-sama wa…"_

Tala discreetly nudged Kai, snapping him from his daze. "_Daijoubu, Takao-chan_," Max assured her. Takao-chan looked to Kenny for further assurance. "_Hontou ni_?" Kenny smiled and answered, "_Hontou."_

"Wow, Kenny. You can talk like a native," Tala observed.

"Ah, well, that is thanks to my guest. Their tales are quite interesting to listen to," said Kenny bashfully.

"Your Highness, there you are!" a smoky voice interrupted, its owner clinging to Kai's right arm. "I have been searching for you everywhere," she said in a seductive voice but she failed miserably. She was a mature woman a few years older than the group save for Judy. She was in one of those revealing dresses that were supposed to attract men like bees to honey, insolently rubbing her busty chest on Prince Kai's arm, trying to get his attention on her meagerly clothed mounds.

"Prince Kai!" another girl a lot younger than the first, appeared on the other side of the prince, insolently pushing Tala out of the way."Wouldn't you rather accompany _me_ than these _foreigners?"_ she tried to persuade the prince. Soon, more of the girls came and crowded around Kai.

"Why don't we leave these _children_ and spend your time with a _real_ woman like me," the first woman said in that fake seductive voice. The other man-hunters voiced their protests and the next thing he knows, Prince Kai was dragged away with Tala following his tail.

**TBC...**

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axa: How was it? Do you like it? Do you know what the Phantom Dragon is after this time? Keep on guessing!


	11. Chapter 11

axa: So here is where you guys will discover to whom the Phantom Dragon stole(or retrieve,as Kenny would put it) for. By the way, I'm planning to write a story for Code Geass with a similar plot to this story. I've been toying with this idea since before I began writing the Phantom Dragon. Just a little heads up, you know? Anyway, enjoy!

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The moment Kenny was introducing his guests to Prince Kai and Tala, was the moment General Tachibana and his daughter took notice of them and was steadily making their way to Max's table. They were in their traditional Japanese party attire, the father in expensive blue _yukata_ and _obi_ and the daughter in an expensive and cute _kimono_ of pink and white sprinkled with cherryblossom petals. A silver comb studded with diamonds decorated her hair.

They arrived at the table just as Tala left to chase after Prince Kai. "_Konbanwa_," they greeted and Max exclaimed, "Hiromi-chan! Tachibana-sama! _Konbanwa_."

"_Konbanwa, Tachibana-san,_" Judy greeted more serenely. "Kenny, Rei, these are friends of mine and Max's. General Tachibana is the Ambassador of Japan who helps me in my work. This is his daughter, Tachibana Hiromi, Max's playmate while we adults were busy," she introduced them.

"Tachibana-san, Hiromi-chan, this is Rei Kon," she indicated Rei. "He is Max's friend from China. And this," she pointed at Kenny, "is Earl Kenneth Dion, Max's new English friend."

Kenny and Rei bowed and said, "_Konnichiwa_," surprising the two with their knowledge of the Japanese language. "Please call me Kenny," Kenny added."

"Nice to be of your acquaintance, Kenny," Hiromi greeted. "Please call me by my given English name Hilary."

"Then you can call me Kyouju whenever we speak in your native language," said Kenny.

"Nice to meet you, Rei Kon-san," Hilary said to Rei. "No need for that," Rei said, shaking his head. "Just call me Rei."

Hilary kept staring at Rei with wide eyes. "Come and sit with us," Max invited them. "We still have three vacant chairs here after all." They sat between Kenny and an empty chair beside Tyson. But Hilary continued to stare at Rei.

Rei felt her gaze on him and he looked at her, one eyebrow quirking. "Neko…" Hilary murmured. Rei's sharp hearing picked it up and he smiled. "Correct. In your language I'm what you would call a nekojin."

"Ne, Hiromi-chan. If your first name is Hilary, then what about your family name?" Max asked.

Hilary turned to answer Max. "That's the trouble. These foreigners can't get it right and it always comes out as Tatibana so I guess that would be it," she answered with a bit of annoyance. Then she finally noticed their other guest who sat quietly throughout the exchange. "Who are you?"

She smiled at Hilary. "_Sore was Takao-chan desu,_" Judy answered, shocking the poor girl into silence. A moment later, the bang of the chair falling and a squeal grabbed the majority of the room's attention.

Hilary glomped Takao and rubbed their cheeks together. "Takao-chan _kawaii!"_ Takao blushed a little but smiled nonetheless, happy to see another familiar face. "You're on an undercover mission, ne?" Hilary whispered into her ear.

"Aren't I always undercover?" she whispered back. Hilary giggled in response. "Takao-chan, thank you for returning our precious family heirloom." Tyson only smiled.

"Come and dance with me, Hil!" Max urged Hilary, pulling her to the dance floor. Rei, Kenny and the other two adults volunteered to bring over some food and drinks from the long buffet table, leaving Takao sitting alone.

Not long after, she felt two gazes on her person so she discreetly looked around and found two men, an old and a young one, staring at her with such intensity a table away. Both of them were drinking from their cups and Takao thought of something to punish them in a way. She shifted a bit so she could boldly cross her legs. In doing so, her kimono parted and the underskirts upon underskirts were clearly shown. The two men who saw this choked on their drinks, spluttering about which caught a lot of attention. The young one was blushing profusely in embarrassment and was very flustered from the show earlier. Takao-chan hid her very pleased mischievous smile behind her fan.

**TBC...**

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axa: How was it? Why don't I seem to receive any ranting reviews? I really feel that sometimes I write something wrong. Speaking of which, sorry if my Japanese is bad. I kinda have the animes as my reference and even then I can tell I was bad. Anyway, thanks for reading! Please review and share your thoughts with me! Speaking of which, again, Reclaim is still under the weather(heh ^^) so to speak. Sure you don't want any particulars you would like to read there?


	12. Chapter 12

axa: Hi there! I was supposed to upload this chapter days ago but my internet connection started acting funny. Anyway, thanks for the reviews and good news to those who were waiting for the sequel, Reclaim. I just started adding some paragraphs earlier. But I still don't know where that's going. So I received some interesting questions from CSSRonin via reviews and here's your answer!

**To CSSRonin: **Kenny and Kai are indeed childhood friends through Tyson's introduction(and insistence). Tala and Kai became childhood friends after Kai went back to Russia since he's a Russian prince after all. He just got back to London a few years earlier with Tala in tow. Kenny is popular for bearing his family's reputation as one of the oldest line of nobles and that makes him higher-ranked than the average earls and very appealing to social climbers. The older woman clinging to Kai is insignificant but I can tell you that she's a noble widow out to catch the prince in her claws. Regarding Tyson's secret and other people knowing about it, I can tell you it means something to the unfolding story. Hilary is indeed just her non-Japanese alias. About the mystery item to be stolen that night, well, your guess is as good as Kai's. But a golden cross is pretty close, though. just keep on reading by the next chapter and you'll have your definite answer that I didn't even know about till I practically wrote it.

So there you have it, CSSRonin! sorry for that lo~ong answer. But I hope I satisfied every bit of your question! Read on!

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Prince Kai was in another part of the hall, managing to lose those preying piranhas somewhere along the way. Tala stood quietly beside him, waiting patiently. "Any signs of the archbishop?" he asked Tala.

"Archbishop Theodore Windsor," the announcement rang loud and clear.

"Speak of the devil," Tala muttered, just as Dr. Dickinson arrived. Following him was none other than the Constable and Inspector.

"Prince Kai, we bring urgent news," said the Constable.

"We received information, Your Highness, that the archbishop is not the only target tonight. In fact there are several more who are conveniently guests of this event," the Inspector piped up right after.

"And why were we not informed earlier?" Tala asked in a steely voice.

"Ah, t-that was b-because," the inspector fidgeted. "We only found out ourselves. Apparently, the other targets thought nothing of the cards and thought of them as mere pranks."

"Did you get the cards?" Kai asked, his tone tinged with the slightest impatience.

"Yes, Your Highness," the Constable answered. "It was a good thing they brought it along with them. Although, most of them were outraged when they heard they were targets of a serial thief," he added the last as an afterthought.

"These are the list of new targets," the Inspector handed the list to the prince. "We have compared them to the compilations of backgrounds and most of the targets' items are unknown."

"In other words," Prince Kai sighed after scanning through the list. "We don't know what the Phantom Dragon is after. What do you think, Ivanov?"

"I think…that we should divide the list among us and keep an eye on the targets. If a suspicious person approaches any of them, investigate immediately," Tala suggested.

"Let's go with that, then. The archbishop is mine," Kai said. He divided the list and handed them to Tala, Constable, Inspector, and Dr. Dickinson, keeping one for himself with the archbishop added to it. They went their separate ways, agreeing to compare observations every few hours.

"Crown Prince Raul and his sister, Princess Julia Fernandez, representatives of His Majesty King Romero, King of Spain," another announcement rang, freezing the people who cared.

Down the stairs came the two teenagers dressed magnificently. They were just a few years younger than Prince Kai, just about Tyson's and Max's age. Their outfits clearly belied their Spanish origin. They walked just to the edge of the dance floor where Max and Hilary stood, eyeing them curiously. None greeted them. Or rather, none dared to. Therefore it came as a big surprise when they saw the bluenette gliding boldly through the people and stood before the two Spanish royalties.

"_Buenas Noches_, Your Highnesses," Takao-chan greeted them as she curtsied with grace.

The two siblings were surprised, as were everyone else. They faced each other and nodded, turning back their gaze on Takao. They smiled identically, pleased with her greeting. " _Buenas Noches, Señorita_," they greeted back in sync, the elder twin sister curtsied while the younger male bowed gallantly in their Spanish way.

"It would be an honor if you could join us in our table, Your Highnesses," Takao offered. "That is, if you do not mind," she added.

"We would love to," said Julia, accepting the offer immediately.

"In fact, the honor would be ours," Raul added in sincerity.

"Come," Princess Julia said, threading her arm with Takao-chan's in a friendly manner. "Lead us to your table. I cannot wait to meet the friends of an interesting person such as yourself," she all but proclaimed, both of them walking in the lead while Prince Raul followed right behind them, resigned and smiling fondly at his sister's usual aggressiveness - All these, while they were under the gaze of a certain prince, watching their progress.

Luckily, before the trio arrived at their destination, Kenny had called upon a manservant to fetch another chair to their table. The others have returned to the food-laden table just when the three arrived. Julia sat to Takao's left next to Hilary's father, and Raul sat to Takao's right, next to Judy. The first thing they did was to stare at Rei, then at Max.

"I know that Rei is normally being stared at by people but I don't understand why I'm also subjected to the same treatment," Max suddenly said to break the silence as much as to satisfy his curiosity.

"My brother and I beg your pardon," _Princesa_ Julia apologized. "It is just - ," and she smiled uncomfortably, having trouble phrasing her next words. Her brother saw her discomfort and came to her rescue no matter how out of character he was then.

"By any chance," he said. "Are your names Max and Rei?"

The said two wore stunned expressions. Takao-chan sat in silence, enjoying the show so to speak. "Yes," Max confirmed, unsure of where this is going. "How do you know?" Rei asked them in a suspicious tone, his brow furrowed slightly. They saw the princess brightened up.

"_Dios Mio_!" she squealed. "What a small world!" Raul only smiled, but the twinkle in his eyes spoke volumes of joy for some yet to know reason. "Where is Tyson?" she demanded all of a sudden. The whole table, save for Raul and Takao, were shocked into silence.

Then all of a sudden, all their attention averted to a giggling Takao. They were clearly at a loss as to why she's laughing. Takao calmed down and tried to talk. "Sorry about that. I should have known that you'd be so sharp," she said to the twins.

"Who knew you'd be able to place Max and Rei just from reading my letters," she continued, confusing the others further. Takao gazed at Raul and Julia, smiling at them fondly. "_Muche tiempo sin verte, Su alteza. Bueno verte de Nuevo, la chico Rey_," she greeted in Spanish in a familiar manner.

Understanding dawned on the twins' faces. No one would greet them and address them as if no social standing stands between them. There was only one who dared to do so, despite his true heritage. The guests were all treated to a show of the Crown Prince and his sister jumping Takao-chan, the older twin repeatedly squealing Takao-chan's name in delight. The jumped person only laughed, used to the treatment.

"Oh, Takao-chan, you look so adorable!" _Princesa_ Julia squealed. "_Esplendido! Magnifico_!"

"_Si si, por favor_, let me up already," Takao breathed out.

"_Rosas_…"Raul murmured to himself once everyone was seated again.

"Come again?" Takao asked but Raul only shook his head furiously, his face a beet red.

"Ah, _cariño, _you know how my _hermano_ adores you so. And then we see you now in that ravishing dress. _Dios Mio,_ what could Raul possibly right at this moment," Julia the carrot-head crooned, casting her dear brother sly glances.

The little disruption they caused earlier also caught the eyes of the newcomers, one of which laughed outright while his other friends smirked in amusement. Poor Kai on the other hand was plagued by two emotions, amusement and resentment, the latter directed at the Spanish royals for openly clinging on his new quarry.

"The Majestics," announced the attendant and the hall froze for the nth time that night. Everyone waited in bated breath. There were rumors that the old King of England had invited them. But no one was sure if they'd show up at all. The Majestics is a group composed of the Crown princes of Europe. In fact, England's latest King's first son was a member of said group, until he left to travel around the world, following his father's footsteps of globetrotting ever since the death of his wife the Queen, the prince's mother. It was said that the second and youngest son would take the wandering prince's place. But he also left to study overseas. Tonight at this party the Royal family of England would show their appearance. But there was no word of any kind about the second prince appearing as well.

The current members of the Majestics are as follows. Prince Robert Jurgen, prince of Denmark and is by far the oldest of the other members ever since the crown prince of England left. Prince Oliver Oribie of France is also a member. Rumor has it that he's the best chef of all of France and spends his time immersing in art whenever he's not cooking. Among the members, one of them is a barbarian or rather, a Celtic prince whose name is Jonathan McGregor of Scotland. He adamantly insists to be addressed as Johnny than stick with formalities. The last of the members is surprisingly an Italian prince rumored to be quite the Casanova. His name is Enrique Tornatore.

They walked majestically, neither smiling nor acknowledging anyone on the way as they headed straight to Takao's table to the confusion and envy of others. Takao, Julia, and Raul stood up and faced them and the others followed suit, not knowing what else to do. To the aristocrats' great surprise, Takao quickly swept into a curtsy, turned her back swiftly on the Majestics and calmly walked away. The nobles were mortified and most were at the same time gleeful because of the rude display that was bound to get her punished. Poor Kenny was a nervous wreck while the rest of his companions only eyed the whole thing curiously.

Raul bowed and Julia curtsied, not the least affected or surprised by their friend's action. "_Buenas noches, Su Alteza Prinsipe _Robert. Shall we get a longer table so we could all sit together?" Julia asked the Danish prince who only nodded. Kenny hurriedly called for a replacement and the servants showed their efficiency when their circular table was now a long table complete with chairs, food and drinks five minutes later. They all sat in silence, leaving the head of the table unoccupied for Takao who disappeared amidst the crowd.

No matter how much Prince Kai wanted to search for his exotic angel, he steeled himself not to deter from his mission and kept up his vigil, - until he noticed that he could no longer spot the Archbishop of Windsor. He cursed under his breath and searched for his comrades to help him find the missing target in haste. It looks like the Phantom Dragon changed his usual time. After all, tonight he would be stealing from a number of people.

**TBC...**

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axa: Wow that was a long chapter. I think it's the longest I have ever written. So if there are still questions you want answers to pertaining to this story, just include it in your review and I'll try my best to answer them. But **I** have a question for **you.** How do I start a poll? Seriously! I was thinking I should ask you guys if you want a sequel for this with TalaKenny pairing. Next time then!


	13. Chapter 13

axa: Howdy! Okay, I know my story is weird, what with the pulsing long or short chapter. It's seems like I can't make up my mind, doesn't it? Anyway, the poll thing? I just did it earlier. Thanks for your advice for that, shebajay! I couldn't have figured it out without you. You just about saved my butt! So you can visit my profile and vote there starting now! It's completely compulsory so if you don't want to, then don't.

Um, just a warning, I may have exaggerated the playing coy thing in this chapter. And I apologize if my use of other language wasn't right so just correct me when I get it wrong. One other thing, I want to hear your reason why your answer to my poll is a "No". No strings attached. I just want to know why. Until then, read on!

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Takao-chan made her way through the group of bodies to where he last saw the Archbishop. Takao-chan, the enigmatic lady, is now in full Phantom thief mode. He followed his target to a corner where he tapped his shoulder from behind, startling the archbishop. He curtsied gracefully and asked in a _really_ seductive yet innocent voice, "Care to dance, Your Excellency?"

"Of course, my daughter," Archbishop Theodore accepted, saying the words in a priestly manner but barely concealing his lecherous tone and that hungry look in his eyes. He took her hand in his and led them to the dance floor and danced the recently popular dance they call the waltz. The lecherous priest snaked his arms around Takao-chan's waist, hands splayed as near as the bluenette's bottom as he dared, pulling her body too close for comfort, much to Tyson's disgust.

"Father, do you not think we are too close?" the thief asked, feigning ignorance.

"Ah, but you are a foreigner here. This is the right position and contact when we dance the waltz," the archbishop lied smoothly, justifying his masked molesting. This time, he dared to run his hand over his partner's soft and well rounded buttocks and gave a slight squeeze, pulling their lower areas even closer and was pleased when Tyson gasped quietly and murmured, "Oh, Father," breathily in his ear.

But soon the dance came to an end and the Archbishop Windsor bowed to Tyson who curtsied in return. Tyson clasped both of the archbishop's hands between his two hands and feigned regret. "I hope to meet you again someday. I have much more I need to ask of you. Thank you for the lovely and educational dance, Your Excellency. Have a pleasant evening," and Takao made his escape in a flurry of skirts and his kimono. It was about a half hour later when Archbishop Theodore Windsor was just about over his daze from the thoughts of the innocent angel that he was found by Prince Kai and the others. He was suddenly bombarded with questions of his whereabouts, if any suspicious people approached him or if anything at all were missing from his person.

That was when the Archbishop Theodore realized that something wasn't right. And with a jolt, he checked his hands. There on his left hand, or rather, what's not on it was the ring the Pope personally gives archbishops. The loss of the ring, depending on what circumstance, may mean loss of power, stripped of his authority and kicked out of the Holy Order.

Prince Kai cursed. "We were too late! That Phantom Dragon concealed himself well." But he was shocked when Tala, who was standing beside him, cursed all of a sudden.

"Damn! We left the other targets unobserved," Tala explained angrily and they frantically went their own way and checked on their charges. Tala's fears were correct. In the span of thirty minutes since Takao left his target the archbishop, he had already stolen from a number of his targets and was finishing his last steal for the night. And just like the others earlier, he accomplished it without a hitch and calmly went back to his table. The King of England and his family are about to appear soon. And he'll disappear come midnight, in a dramatic way, of course, with the use of his vases of blue roses he had had delivered earlier that day.

He approached his table just in time to witness Prince Enrique's incessant flirting with Hilary. He shook his head in pity and went to her rescue. He inserted himself beside the Italian prince and whispered, "Mission accomplished," just so his table heard it. Everyone stilled, even Judy and General Tachibana. From Tyson's long sleeve he produced the ring and gave it to Enrique who hid it quickly.

"I trust you are capable of delivering this to Rome?" Tyson addressed the blonde prince.

"Rest assured, Tyson. The Papal gives you his thanks for ridding the Order of a corrupted influence," Enrique said and even winked, pulling an exasperated sigh from Tyson, the bluenette's eyes rolled.

"Am I right to assume that your – job is finished?" Robert asked Tyson.

"Every last one. Let us all gather tomorrow and I'll give you what I have taken," Tyson answered.

Prince Oliver giggled. "Mon Dieu, Tyson. Sometimes you prove you're worthy more than that brother of yours. It makes me wish you were the eldest and have you join the Majestics," the green-haired French said dramatically.

"You give me too much credit, Oli. You know how much I look up to him," Tyson replied but he still had a smile on his face.

"Wait a minute," Max interjected. "You have a brother, Tyson? And how come you know these bluebloods? _Anata wa dareda?_"

"Easy, Max or you'll pop a vein," Rei tried to soothe the blonde American. "But he's got a point, Takao. We know you're childhood friends with Prince Kai but I've always thought that you held something back. How come you're very familiar with princes of various countries?"

**TBC...**

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axa: There you have it! The story is about to come to an end here so keep on reading! I'm glad to have made you happy with this story of mine. Heads up, though. Because I'm already aiming for Code Geass styled Phantom Dragon. Or something like that. It's going to be called the Phantom Zero. But I'm not going to post it for a while yet. Bye now!


	14. Chapter 14

axa: Wow! Just a few more chapters and fin! Now let me answer some of CSSRonin's questions, Here goes!

**To CSSRonin:** You are right on the mark. The prince of England is also a character from Beyblade currently unnamed for plot reasons. But what the heck, you'll find out anyway after this chapter is over. About your thoughts on the two current princes of England and Princess Diana, I dodn't notice at all. Completely coincidence, really. but there's no such thing as coincidence, only inevitability(xxxHolic) so yeah, let's go with that.

The Majestics know Tyson because they know his real title and his family. Plus, they're also his clients of sorts. By the way, thanks for the compliment! They went to his table because they immediately recognized Tyson. That, and Kenny was there meaning Tyson was there, meaning Takao can't be anyone else but Tyson.

About Tyson's standing, he is most definitely a high ranked noble. just read this chapter. He couldn't keep contact with Kai since he left for Russia before Tyson left for his "overseas education". With the others however, he's been to their countries and talked with them personally and accept jobs from some of them.

Kai is in England despite his nationality because through some twist of their bloodline, he's the princes of England's cousin. Again, just read this chapter. The King's sons and himself are out of the country, his father, the Old King can't handle everything plus kai has a thing for mysteries and the mysterious so kai is in charge for the moment. o, did you figure it out? If not, it's okay, just read this chapter. Bombs are going to explode as you read this chapter and the next few chapters following so don't strain yourself! Don't sweat the long reviews you give. I'm starting to love long reviews.

axa: There you have it! I hope I satisfied you with these! Read on!

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Takao sighed and went to his place at the head of the table. He took a deep breath and began his narration. "It is true that I was not completely honest with you. But then, you yourselves are the same with me. Putting that aside, I will tell you who I really am. But I need your patience. Let us wait until the Royal make their appearance. Then and only then shall I reveal what you seek."

Rei, Max, his mother, Hilary and her father listened avidly but sighed in disappointment, when Tyson didn't continue. Julia and Raul managed to school their faces into feigned disinterest to hide their eagerness to know more about their cross-dressing friend. (A/N: The twins don't know who Tyson really is unlike the Majestics.) "Must we wait?" Max asked quietly quite let down.

"_Gomen ne,_ Maxie," Tyson apologized, giving his friend an apologetic smile.

Suddenly, loud choruses of trumpets erupted around the room. The Royal Family has arrived. All heads turned and the musicians stopped. The others who were seated stood up at once and all together they bowed and curtsied. They remained in that position while His Majesties descended the stairs.

"His High Majesty Old King Granger! His Majesty King Granger! His Highness Prince Hiro Granger!"

The Granger family's guests straightened up and greeted their hosts one by one. As expected, the second prince was not present, or so they thought. Since Prince Hiro and his father were bound to be travelling, and the second prince not showing any signs of returning, they all thought that Prince Kai Hiwatari would inherit the throne, hence the flock of women tried to corner him, the poor Russian prince. Still, women still vie for the first prince, Hiro's, attention but to no avail.

"That brother of mine is as flashy as ever," Tyson muttered under his breath once they were seated. The others from his table heard this comment and eyed him curiously. Well, some of them knew the truth but Rei's eyebrows shot up his hairline when he finally understood.

"Ta-Taka-chan, don't tell me that you - ," Rei gasped out, his eyes as wide as saucers.

"Seems you got it, Rei," Tyson drawled, calmly eyeing the nekojin. "But then I don't expect less from the young prince of China," he abruptly said in a casual manner.

Rei visibly paled. "H-How did you - ," Rei stopped abruptly, still reeling from the shock of discovery.

"What?" Max barely contained his voice in a whisper. Kenny fainted while the others, including the Majestics, sat still in shock.

"Don't be so surprised, _Mizuhara-oujisama_," Tyson trained his eyes on the blonde half-breed. Max's mother rattled her champagne flute, once again shocked but this time, because Tyson knew of her son's secret identity.

Tyson sighed. "Relax, everyone. I knew because I have my ways. But that doesn't mean I befriended you _becaus_e I knew the truth of your identity. I found out about it during our travels, the three of us. To those who want to know, you can ask me later," he gestured to his other friends. "But back to me, I'll let Rei narrate his discovery," he added and left it at that.

The others blinked few times and stared at Rei. "So, Rei, what did you find out earlier?" Max prompted him.

"Oh, that," Rei spoke and gathered his thoughts. "Well, judging from Tyson's comment about his brother earlier and the arrival of the Granger family, I basically used logic and timing and found hat the possibility of Tyson being the mysterious second prince came to the force. That would explain his comfortable manner among other princes and his willingness to steal from corrupt aristocrats with eagerness. That, plus his last name is Granger," Rei ended.

"Wow, Rei!" Max exclaimed. "So he, this Kai dude and the Chief here are childhood friends because Takao-chan is Kai's cousin and Kenny is Takao-chan's best friend."

"Bingo," Tyson said. "And speak of the devil, here comes Jin of the Gale gliding this way in a breeze, the showoff."

True to his word, Prince Hiro was pointedly walking to their table. "The Majestics, it has been a long time since we have met last, eh Robert? You're too serious for your own good. Why can't you be a little indulgent like Oliver? Or be happy-go-lucky like Enrique? Heck, I'll even settle for you being uncaring and do whatever you feel like, like that brat of a fool Johnny," he indicated the Celtic redhead.

"What did ya say!?" Johnny exclaimed in outrage, his heavy accent betraying his irritation. "just because you're older than us and happen ta be one of our hosts, doesn't give ya the right ta spout off wha'ever ya wish. Far as I'm concerned, you're no longer a part of d' Majestics so lay off!" and Johnny sat back down in a huff.

"Hm, so the little brat earned a sharp tongue," Prince Hiro commented, completely unfazed. "So, Kenny, I heard you brought guests. Care to introduce them?" he asked, eyeing Rei, Max and his mother, and the others. "Ah, so the Spanish Royals are also sharing your table. IS there a reason for such a gathering?"

"Ah, well, Your Highness," Kenny started nervously.

"Please Kenny, no formalities. I've known you since you were a child," Hiro inserted.

"Ah, okay. If you insist, Hiro. Well, if you don't mind my calling you _Hiro-niisan_, courtesy of my guests? Japanese language lesson?" Kenny let it hang.

"Sure, I don't mind. I actually learned a few Japanese words myself when I was traveling. And it's an honor that you see me as you're older brother. But the kid over there doesn't look Japanese," Hiro indicated Rei.

"Ah, that's because he's Chinese. But he's quite fluent in the Japanese language," Kenny said proudly. Then he remembered something and made eye contact with Rei who nodded in understanding and smiled to convey that it is alright to reveal it. Kenny did the same with Max and the blonde answered the same.

"_Hiro-niisan_, let me introduce to you Rei Kon, one of the princes of China. Next to him is Mizuhara Max, prince of Japan with his mother next to him, Mrs. Judy Mizuhara ambassador to Japan."

Hiro quirked a brow. "If I'm not mistaken, Mrs. Mizuhara, your husband is the world renowned smith. I wasn't aware he was also king of his country," said he.

"There is no mistake. My husband is the eldest son of the emperor who took to living simply than rule the country. His younger brother took over as the crown prince but Max is still considered as prince," Judy explained.

"I see," Hiro murmured. "Your husband is very much admired by my family and I. and just looking at your son leaves me nostalgic. He's the same age as my younger brother by now," he added.

"Moving along, meet my newest acquaintance, General Tachibana Ambassador of Japan, nad his daughter Lady Hilary," Kenny continued.

"A pleasure to meet you," Hiro greeted bowing sincerely despite his high status.

"Lastly, Kinomiya Takao-chan here is also from Japan. She's rather quiet so don't take it wrongly," Kenny finished, waiting nervously, anxiety eating at him.

Hiro stared at this last guest, eyeing her speculatively. He said nothing as he approached the head of the table where she sat. he stood beside her chair, looking down at her, and she, in turn, slowly raised her eyes and stared unflinchingly at Hiro's eyes. The prince held out a hand and Takao-chan took it without hesitation. The elder swept her into his arms immediately and squeezed, to the surprise of everyone looking. He buried his face in the crook of Takao-chan's neck and murmured so only she could hear, "Tyson…"

Tyson smiled, not at all surprised he saw through his disguise. "_Nii-san_," he murmured in an equally quiet tone for his brother's ears only. He hugged back just as tightly and then he let go. In doing so, Hiro was forced to let him go with great reluctance. But before he could say something, Prince Kai came in a whirlwind and took Takao-chan away. Hiro stared after them in a daze and was shocked when Kai shot him a death glare. If looks could kill…

**TBC...**

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axa:Keep 'em coming! Your reviews, questions, and your votes! The results will be announced at the end of the last chapter. Watch out for it!


	15. Chapter 15

axa: Wowee! Here it is, the supposed last chapter. But it really isn't. There are actually two or three more extra chapters, a so called 3-part epilogue if you will. And as answer to lady Kirei's question:

**To Lady Kirei:** In the old times, one can fall in love and marry his/her cousin. Actually, even if they don't fall in love, they still marry. Them and their arranged marriages... Anyway, so that's it! Read along you! (^_^)

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Tyson was stunned and he suddenly found himself back on the dance floor in Kai's arms. He was being held tightly but it's not as perverse as that time with that pervert of an archbishop. All he could do was keep still until Kai would let him go.

With Kai, though, his mind was in chaos. Earlier when they gave up since all the targets were robbed of this and that with no sign of the phantom. Plus they have yet to know why those pieces were stolen since they seem insignificant or so they thought. Tala then had to comment that the mask Takao-chan was wearing looked identical to the Phantom Dragon's mask, and further observation tells them that her whole appearance screams dragons. (A/N: No, really!? What gave them that idea? Actually Tyson did that on purpose just to mock them, see how fast they can figure that he(she) is the Phantom Dragon). Then he, the foolish redhead, had to look smug and say he was right that the Phantom Dragon can be a female.

He scowled at the memory. He had decided to storm to Kenny's table, grab his guest, and bring her to a quiet corner where he would confront her. But alas, when he was nearly at the table, what he saw made his blood boil over. And without thinking, he stormed the rest of the way and snatched her away to the dance floor. He sighed and considerably loosened his hold on Takao's body.

Meanwhile…

"Did that brat know about Tyson and Takao…?" Hiro asked Kenny pointing in the direction Kai disappeared to. Kenny shook his head no. Hiro sighed. "I don't know if that's a good thing or bad."

Kai looked into Takao's eyes through her mask for a few seconds before he asked the question he dreaded to hear the answer for. "Takao-chan, I can't believe I'm asking this," he said to himself. "But are you the – Phantom Dragon?" and waited for her answer with bated breath.

For a minute, silence reigned between them, Takao looking at him innocently, or so it seems. Inside, her heart beat a fast tempo, her thoughts swirling with answers upon answers, lies upon lies. In the end, Tyson resolved to do one thing, so he smiled instead and 'her' eyes took on a mischievous glint. "I knew you would see the hints but I must say it took you quite a while to connect things. I even took the trouble of wearing these accessories and the dress that practically screams dragon, you know. Tell me, Kai, am I that pleasing to look at?" Tyson said playfully, pouting a little.

Prince Kai stood still, stunned at what he heard, yet not once letting go of the person he's supposed to capture. But soon rage gripped him, once again tightening his hold on the thief to painful proportions. "Why? Why do you do it? Who do you do it for? What do you get in return?" he bombarded 'her' with questions.

"You know why, Your Highness. I do it for the people who were victims of those pompous nobles' theft. And as to what I get in return, I don't want, nor do I need any repayment. It is for their sakes that I accepted the jobs. Even if they don't ask, I'll still help them," the phantom stated seriously.

"Then what about tonight? The things that you stole tonight, I can't see the connection. What of the archbishop? And to think you used Kenny to get in here. Take off your mask and show me who you really are!" Kai demanded harshly in a whisper as they continued to dance. But Takao stopped and Kai was forced to a halt.

"The archbishop was a fool. And the Pope himself commissioned me. He is thereby stripped of his status. But sure, I'll take off my mask, and let me warn you, you'll not have a chance to see my face. For every rich who dare abuse and steals, I shall be there to steal it back," and so saying, the Phantom Dragon takes two steps back. A hand rose slowly and caressed his mask. He slowly unmasked himself just as a wind picked up and the vases of blue roses rattled. The guests were getting anxious but Kai took no notice. Just as the mask was completely off, a gale blew suddenly, scattering masses of blue rose petals, hindering Kai's sight. "Poor Kai, you are not meant to see."

"Wait! Don't act so familiar with me!" Kai yelled above the wind's noise. And the wind stopped, the whole ballroom was littered vastly with blue rose petals. And a voice rang through the room.

"You _know_ me, Kai. And I know you. And because of that, I know you'll find me." The Phantom Dragon was gone.

**THE END**

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axa: Please ignore the The End sign above you. This story is not yet over. Keep those votes coming because so far, it's a tie between the yes and the no options. What is it, really? Sequel or no? But if I look at it honestly, the no was in fact a mistake( don't worry about it! i totally understand that it was an accident.) So that means two people voted for yes. Ugh. My head aches... Watch out for my epilogues!


	16. Chapter 16

axa:Here it is! Um, dang, I don't know what to say. Except that I'm afraid that the following chapters might disappoint you guys. I have a confession to make, I'm not much good with mushy lines and fluff so let's leave it at that. I'm still trying to boost up my courage regarding that, *sigh* Oh well, Read on!

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**Phantom Dragon Extra Chapter Epilogue Part 1**

The night of the mass theft of the Phantom Dragon, Kai was left thoroughly disturbed by the thief's parting words. Throughout the chaos following the phantom's escape, Kenny and his guests left. He only found the Majestics, Prince Hiro, and the Spanish twins there. When asked, he was told that Kenny and his guests had left since Kenny had an appointment early the next day.

Prince Kai finds himself standing before the doors of the Dion Mansion. Tala stood behind him, waiting to see if his friend would ring the doorbell or not. The young prince had been acting distracted ever since the phantom escaped before his very eyes. _Well, at least we already confirmed some of last night's targets' dirty deed and are now in the hands of the law._ Tala sighed.

Kai, instead of ringing the bell, used the brass knocker instead and waited. The doors opened to reveal the Dion family's butler. The old man, upon seeing who the visitors are, immediately opened the door wide and bowed. "Your Highness, Your Excellency, I was not informed that you would call."

"It was unplanned," Kai said curtly. "Is Kenny in the sitting room or the entertainment room?" he asked in a cold voice that implied to answer quickly.

"The Master is in the entertainment room. Ah, b-but Master Kenny is occupied entertaining guests. He said not to be disturbed by anyone," the last two sentences were said hurriedly as Kai and Tala entered the abode without further ado and was headed to the said room. The poor butler hurried after them telling them to stop and "you can't go in there," and the like. He was too old for this type of shenanigan. He arrived outside the said room panting, just in time to witness Kai open the door without so much as a knock. The muffled conversation that could be heard outside ceased immediately. All eyes turned to the one standing in the doorway.

"I knew you had an appointment this morning, Chief. But I didn't know it would be a gathering of one similar as last night," Kai commented without much emotion. Tala stood silent, eyeing the occupants with critical eyes.

"K-Kai! What are you doing here?" Kenny exclaimed from his seat.

Kai lifted a brow. "Thank you, Kenny. You make me feel so welcome," he said in a sarcastic tone. Kenny blushed in embarrassment.

"We're here to ask you and your Asian guests a few questions regarding the Phantom Dragon. But I must say, this gathering is quite suspicious even for you, Earl Kenneth Dion," Tala spoke up.

Suddenly, a tinkling laugh rang somewhere in the vicinity, mainly, the armchair that was covered from view by the Majestics. "Now Kai, don't be mean because you weren't invited to this particular gathering. How many times must I tell you to stop teasing the poor Chief," the hidden speaker mock scolded. Kai was struck. He knew that voice, longed to hear it for years. But he needed to see for himself if his ears weren't deceiving him.

The Majestics stepped aside and revealed the speaker sitting comfortably with his legs crossed and his elbow propped up on the right arm of the chair to enable to rest his cheek on a fist while the other arm rests on the chair's other arm. He sat regally like a prince should, and looking like no troubles have plagued his life. A wide smile graced his lips. "Long time no see, Kai."

"Tyson…" Kai murmured, not quite believing it. There sitting before him was none other than his cousin, Tyson, second prince of England.

"And you must be Tala Ivanov, Kai's Advisor and childhood friend from Russia," Tyson turned his attention on the redhead beside his dual-haired cousin. He made to stand but was nearly mauled over back to his seat when Kai launched himself on him, holding him so tightly as if to prevent Tyson from disappearing again. As it was, they were standing before everyone hugging each other, or in Tyson's case, being hugged to death. "Kai…can't breathe," Tyson gasped out. And Kai released him immediately but instead, he took Tyson's hand, sat in Tyson's previous chair and placed Tyson on his lap, making the bluenette blush.

"Where have you been?" Kai asked or rather demanded.

"Around," Tyson answered evasively.

"When did you come back?" the interrogation went on to everyone's amusement.

"A few hours ago. Sorry I missed the last ball of the season, Kai. But I heard from Kenny that you were quite busy last night amidst those people. Faring okay?" Tyson asked in concern.

"Well enough. You're not leaving again," Kai said as a statement, not a question.

"I suppose. Who else could possibly save you from yourself and all those vultures," Tyson affirmed half jokingly and half serious.

"You'll come home with me back to the palace later then?" Kai asked with a hint of hope only Tyson could detect.

"Of course. I still have to show up and discipline that brother of mine," Tyson answered without any hesitation.

"Good," Kai said. After a moment he whispered," Welcome home, Ty," and the person concerned looked gently at Kai's visage.

"I'm back and I'll never leave again," Tyson whispered back and placed his arms around the older teen's neck and placed a kiss on one pale cheek. Ah, but the great Kai never blushes.

"Ahem," Tala cleared his throat, catching the two bluenettes' attention. "Well, going back to the topic at hand, we would like to ask you young earl what you know about your supposed guest, Kinomiya Takao."

"Ah, about that…I'll tell you something you might be interested to hear. And I'm sure it is to your benefit," Tyson said, staring at a ruffled Tala meaningfully. "Meanwhile, I would like to invite everyone to my residence outside of the palace, the Dragon Mansion."

"What can you possibly tell us that would interest and benefit me at the same time, if you don't mind my asking, Your Highness?" Tala asked of Prince Tyson.

"Ah. But that is a secret until tonight at the palace gardens, of course. The other princes and Kenny with his friends are welcome to join us as well," Tyson answered unfazed. He tugged Kai and led the others out of the Dion Mansion and made their way to Tyson's abode in carriages. "I have to show you my souvenirs from all over the world. Can you believe I already met Prince Rei and Prince Max before?" Kai raised a brow. He didn't know that those two were princes at all.

"At least my business with the Majestics and the Fernandez twins are done. Still, I have much more to do," Tyson continued on with his chattering and Kai felt nostalgic. He missed his chatterbox of a cousin. His very first love and his love still. This time, there's no holding back. Tyson will soon be his, his blue-haired angel, his elegant dragon. Just then, an image of a masked phantom in a dress came to his mind. He shook his head mentally. There's no reason to think of that thief at this moment.

A few hours later we find the important characters of the story scattered in the palace gardens. Night has just fallen and the others were following Tyson around as the young prince seems to have a certain destination in mind. When the others turned a corner of a bush wall inside the maze, Tyson had disappeared. Instead, their senses were assaulted with the strong scent of roses, particularly the blue ones. Blue rose petals floated about softly in the night breeze among lustrous white feathers that can't possibly belong to any species of a bird.

With Kai in the lead, they reached the center of the maze, the others staring about in awe at the fluttering feathers and petals like softly falling snow. There among the blue rose bushes Kai didn't even know exists, stood a stone pavilion. And on the roof of that structure was a breathtaking sight. Positioned against the light of the full moon with his back on them, casting his features in shadow, stood an angel, his pearly white wings spread out for them to see. That explains the still falling white feathers. Among the others, Kai was the most shocked of all. Then an old childhood memory surfaced to the fore of his mind.

**TBC...**

axa: W

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ait! There's more! Ah, but I'm kinda stumped about my poll. How do I interpret it? Either it means I write the sequel with that pairing or don't write with that pairing. Or maybe don't write any at all. two people voted so far and one of them was a mistake, now what? I need to ask my sister.

Oh, right! A heads up! The next chapter may be a sort of flashback chapter. It's Kai's memory! Part of it to be precise!


	17. Chapter 17

axa: He~y! Sorry for the long wait! I finally finished it! Here's the last chapter and the great twist that you may or may not like. I hope you can tolerate it! It was extremely long! Whew!

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**Phantom Dragon Extra Chapter Epilogue Part 2**

_Childish squeals permeated the air as two little boys played at the center of the garden maze. Both were bluenettes with one having dual hair while the other's was a midnight hue. The younger bluenette was running around the stone pavilion while the older dual-haired bluenette gave chase. All of a sudden, the younger one stopped running in the middle of the pavilion and turned to his older cousin, tilting his head cutely._

"_Hey Kai, do you want to know a secret?" he asked him. Kai looked at him questioningly but nodded nonetheless. "Great! I want to show you something. Then it'll be our secret to keep," the younger exclaimed happily._

_Kai sighed in impatience and rolled his eyes. "Get on with it, Tyson."_

_Tyson giggled and turned around so that Kai was looking at his back. He sighed, thinking of what he was about to do. He took a deep breathe and light surrounded his whole being. Kai covered his eyes from the glare, and when the light subsided, he lowered his hand and looked. There in front of him, floating a few inches from the floor was an angel of immense beauty. With a start, he finally realized that the winged being before his eyes was none other than his dear cousin, Tyson._

_Tyson turned around slowly, his eyes lowered, fiddling his fingers. He looked at Kai shyly, not knowing how his usually stoic cousin would react in this case. But then he saw that Kai wore the gentlest smile he has ever seen in his entire life and he felt relieved. Kai walked slowly towards him and embraced him tenderly._

"_You have the most beautiful secret and I am honored you shared it with me," the Russian boy whispered. And it was true. They stood like that for a few more minutes, Tyson nuzzling Kai's chest, and he, running his hands on Tyson's soft feathers._

Kai went back to the present and saw that Tyson landed gracefully in front of them. He was looking at the Russian prince while he said, "This is my mother's secret garden. All the blue roses were a product of her care."

Kai understood then, what Tyson was trying to do. He was once again trying to share a secret in this place like he did so many years ago. And he knew now what that particular secret was. To most of everyone's surprise, the Constable, the Inspector, and Dr. Dickinson, along with the royal family, arrived at the scene. The others were so riveted that they missed Tyson donning his phantom thief's mask. They only grew aware of that facts when they heard the two officers of the law exclaim, "The Phantom Dragon!"

As one, they all turned back and saw that Prince Tyson Granger also known as the Phantom Dragon, was once again standing on the top of the stone pavilion, his wings were already folded. "Nice of you to join the party Constable, Inspector," the Phantom Dragon drawled.

"You thief," the Inspector shouted. "Do you plan to steal from the Royal family!?"

Tyson clutched at his heart in a mocking manner. "I wouldn't dare," he scoffed and laughed.

"He wouldn't dare," the three generations of Grangers said together very confident for some reason.

"Or are you implying that our ruler is a sly snake who steals in the background while maintaining a noble façade?" the phantom asked snidely. The two officers spluttered. "My, my, officers, that was mighty naughty of you," he lightly scolded them, wagging a finger at them like a mother would her children.

Now son, you better take off that mask of yours and stop toying with our country's protectors," Tyson's father said in a calm tone.

"That's right!" his grandfather agreed. "No grandson of mine will hide behind a mask like a coward," he huffed. The two officers and Dr. Dickinson were confused. Kai, Tala, and some others, looked at the Grangers in shock. So they knew all along.

"I agree," Hiro added. "What kind of family are you, to not send word that you were coming home. And you didn't even go home straight to the palace!" he exclaimed.

Tyson snorted as he slowly took off his mask. "Oh, please. You're one to talk. You and Father come and go as you please." The mask was tossed to Kenny and he looked straight at them all. "Hello, officers, Dr. Dickinson I presume?" At the doctor's nod, he continued. "Allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Prince Tyson Granger, the King's youngest son. And I am also the Phantom Dragon, thief of the night," he reintroduced himself as he bowed gallantly.

"Yeah, right," Kenny grumbled. "If you were, then why is it still dark out here," of course Tyson heard that and he grinned cheekily. He hopped down once again, his wings unfolding to soften his landing.

Kai crossed his arms and looked away. "You forgot one thing Tyson."

"Oh? And what is that?" Tyson asked his cousin when he was now standing in front of Kai.

Kai turned to him, a brow arched delicately. "That you're also Prince Tyson, the phantom cross-dresser," he said without malice but with a bit of teasing. The others laughed, completely in agreement with him.

Tyson pouted childishly and shot back. "I seem to remember that you were the one chasing after me – cross-dressed or otherwise."

Kai sighed, tired of this pseudo-game already. He pulled Tyson into a hug as he did years before. And just like then, he ran his fingers over those pristine white feathers that are as soft as he remembered them. "Must you always tell your secrets this way? In this place?"

The phantom prince nuzzled his older cousin's chest. "Of course because this place means something."

Kai sniffed as if he was offended. "I should be mad at you."

The younger looked up to his face questioningly. "Why is that?"

"Because this beautiful secret is no longer between us two," Kai answered.

"Ty you sly lizard," Hiro glomped on his little brother, forcing the two cousins apart. "You could have just asked the Scotland Yard. Why must you play dress up and prance around in the dead of night to steal from someone's house at the risk of getting caught?"

"The answer is obvious. It's more fun that way," Tyson answered seriously.

"Your Highness, sir," the inspector attracted the winged prince's attention. "Forgive our impertinence and our uselessness," he begged humbly.

"Nonsense, Inspector, I should be the one to apologize for the trouble I wrought and the selfishness behind my actions," Tyson said al prince-like.

"Prince Tyson," Dr. Dickinson bowed and shook his hand. "I must comment that your proses are nothing short of genius," he exclaimed happily.

"Thank you, Doctor. Coming from you, I am indeed honored," Tyson thanked the jolly doctor.

"Welcome home, son," his father greeted.

"I'm back. And so are you and Hiro," Tyson replied, hugging his father. And so it went for a while longer. Some asked the young prince questions, to which he would give an answer in return. After a while, Tyson shooed some of them away.

"Shoo you old coots. We princes and youngsters have something else to talk about," he said playfully as he pushed his father and his grandfather. They reluctantly left. His father and grandfather, the two officers, Dr. Dickinson, Hilary's father, and Max's mother all left together.

Tyson sat on the ledge of the stone pavilion and addressed those who stayed. "I am aware that I overwhelmed you with some of my secrets. And I know that some of us here do not have a secret of this magnitude," he said the last part with Hilary in mind.

"Most of us have our family insignia, our guardians in a sense," he continued. The others nodded. "My wings have a connection with my family's guardian. I discovered this connection earlier than you because of the strong power my guardian holds."

Hilary was getting confused. The others understood perfectly well. "This bond we share with our guardians led us to cross paths," Tyson said. "And now, I show you mine. Dragoon," he called his family guardian, a majestic blue dragon like in the Chinese and Japanese myth – wingless and flies amid the clouds like a sky serpent. Trickles of blue orbs appeared around and amidst them. These orbs floated over the stone pavilion and fused together. Soon, the dragon appeared its front claws were crossed over its chest like the buried mummies in Egypt. Hilary gasped while the others stared with wide eyes.

"This part of the garden is a place to share secrets. I have shared with you mine here, as I shared it with Kai long ago. Will you share yours?" he asked of them. No one spoke for a while, until Kai broke the silence.

"Very well, I shall start," he said as he now stood in front of everyone. He was inside the stone pavilion, the exact spot where Tyson stood when he first showed him his secret. He breathed deeply and concentrated. Soon, a burst of flame came out of nowhere and spread rapidly throughout the space just above Kai's head and a little to his left. The fire slithered in an ascending manner, starting from a thin path until it grew broader. By the time it was done, they saw the outline was of some kind of bird. The flames cleared away and there was a flaming phoenix just as majestic as the first guardian. It flew out of the pavilion and joined Dragoon up in the sky watching over them.

The others were mesmerized by the sheer brilliance of those mythical creatures. Hilary stared up in awe. "His name is Dranzer," Kai spoke up, causing their attention to rivet to him. And they saw that Kai too, has wings as blood red as his eyes. Those same eyes were cold, as was his personality- a great contrast from his element. "But unlike you, I wield two guardians, the other an exact opposite of Dranzer. He is called Black Dranzer and is Dranzer's brother. Bringing him out would mean destruction. In the wrong hands, no one can resist its temptation, its power."

Rei followed suit, followed by Max. And then it was Kenny's turn. One by one they revealed their guardians. Rei's was the white tiger Driger, Max's was a purple and black turtle called Draciel. Kenny's was that mysterious animal on his family crest. Her name is Dizzara. But she is fondly addressed as Dizzy. (A/N: I already introduced her before.) The others' were just as brilliant and have their own strengths. But the strongest of them all is Dragoon, followed by Dranzer, then Driger, and Draciel. Together, the four guardians embody the four mythical gods of the north, south, east and west – the sacred beasts in Japanese mythology.

"There are others out there who are the same as us," Tyson said. "But not all of them use their guardians for good. I have traveled thus far, for this purpose. And that is, to meet many and enlist their help in stopping those with evil intent someday. Now that you accept by this sharing of secrets, I have only one more thing to say…," he paused, all serious. That is, until his face broke out into a big grin. "Goodnight everyone!"

They were quite dazed at first. But with Kenny in the lead, they left the garden and went to their rooms for the night. Kai stayed behind with Tyson who went back to sitting on the ledge. He joined his young dragon there and sat. Tyson leant on his shoulder and sighed. "So many things happened here tonight, huh?" Kai remained silent, placing an arm over the other's shoulder. "I'm surprised you're not mad at me after all that's happened."

"Why should I? You're not the only one who was having fun," Kai finally said. Tyson laughed tiredly.

"I never stopped thinking about you all this time, Kai," he said wistfully.

"Me, too," Kai replied. "Some things haven't changed even after all these years."

"Really? Like what?" Tyson asked now looking at his cousin.

Kai looked down at him and answered. "Like my feelings for you," he said at last.

Tyson looked stunned beyond words. And soon a few tears gathered in his eyes. He clutched on Kai's front, the other engulfing him in his arms. "I still love you," he confessed between breaths.

Kai smiled and tightened his hold. "Me, too. I love you even though you're a crybaby," he teased.

"Kai!" Tyson whined, looking at him once again.

"Silly," Kai said, face lowering, and immediately stifled any further protests by pressing his lips on Tyson's soft ones. They parted and Kai took hold of his hand. "Come, let us sleep. Or I wouldn't bear looking at your face tomorrow," he teased further. And he received a punch on his arm for that statement.

Owari

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axa: Dare I say it? Owari da! The final result for my first ever poll is in! And considering the blunder in the voting, a majority vote of YES takes the stage with the odds of 3 against one! There you have it! A sequel woth Kenny and Tala pairing is on the way! Thanks for all your support and reviews!


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